Our Sour Memories - a lemonzest fanfic
by Sprinkleofzest
Summary: After being away from his Earldom and the candy kingdom, Lemongrab has returned with his new friend to show everyone how he has changed. However, he has started to feel strange emotions towards Lemonfriend (lemongrab 2) which are driving him crazy. Will he ignore these emotions or face them head on? WARNING - will later contain sexual scenes and other adult, sensitive topics
1. Prologue

Prologue

This is set after the episode 'too old' with a twist. Princess Bubblegum sees it as her duty to save Lemonfriend (Lemongrab 2) from the evil clutches of the corrupt Lemongrab (Lemongrab 1). When she gets Lemonhope out of the dungeon, she seizes the opportunity to save Lemonfriend. As Lemongrab leaps forward to grab his for releasing his prisoners, PB darts across the room, to pull him out the way, letting Lemongrab hit his head on the rock-hard wall, resulting in him being knocked out instantly. With the help of Lemonfriend, they quickly release the other citizens and escape the earldom. However, soon after the last of the lemon people escaped, Finn and the princess heard a deaf defining shriek, signalling to them that they should run for their lives. Princess Bubblegum knew that Lemongrab would attack with drastic actions soon enough, so she hunted for the rehabilitation unit for violent, cruel patients to come and take Lemongrab away and not return him until he had learnt the error of his ways. Although it was a challenge, workers from the unit arrived the next day and snuck in to the earldom to cart him away. He was drugged and dragged to the travel cell and transported to the rehabilitation unit. It took him 13 months but he is now a completely different lemon, whether the others will agree is another story. This story.


	2. Chapter 1-The new Lemongrab

The only thing Lemongrab could think about was how sick he felt from nerves and how much his tummy flipped and turned inside him. He had been away from his earldom for 13 months at a type of rehabilitation unit, trying to become a better rule, which he had defiantly achieved. He learnt how to care for citizens and friends, to be brave, selfless and honourable and most importantly he had trained to become a better protected. His physical change was astounding as well. His once flabby, obese body had turned in to a toned, muscular figure. Every muscle on his body was toned and well-shaped, his biceps stretched his shirt and hidden underneath, he had noticeable abs and pecks. The humorous chins under his neck had vanished and his pointy cheekbones could be seen once more. Not only that, but his voice had completely changed, from being high pitched and loud, to deep and soothing. For 3 and a half weeks he didn't make a sound and took medication to help fix his voice box; the root of the problem with his voice. The new Lemongrab was unrecognisable and nothing like his past self. His journey to be a good rule had come to an end and he was finally able to go home, but he didn't feel right. Why?  
He was in better shape, a better understanding of others and had shown a lot of progress; however something was holding him back.

It was late in the morning when he at last left his temporary home and school, to start to travel back to the earldom and candy Kingdom. For the journey, he wore a grey, chequered shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a pair of black jeans with a black leather belt and wrapped around his hips was his sword holder. He had to get rid of his sound sword as it no longer worked because his voice had changed. However he was fine with this as he saw it as a cowardly weapon. Sat with him on the journey was his tutor, councillor and trainer who he saw as a close friend. She had medium length, darkish brown hair that had been straightened. Her top was white and hung over one side, exposing her left shoulder. For trousers, she had tight, blue jeans and wore black, ankle high boots. As well as that, hermake up was done expertly. Her eyes had a line of black eye liner and blended eye shadow. To top it off she had pink natural lipstick and a necklace she always wore. Her name was Esme.

The butterflies in his belly started to move more and more the closer they got to the kingdoms. Staring down at the floor, he tried to calm down. Slowly he started to close his eyes and think. The first thing that crept in to his mind was Lemonfriend: how has he coping with the kingdom? Did princess bubblegum help him like she said she would? What did he look like, now that PB had fixed him? This confused Lemongrab. Lemonfriend was the only person on his mind, maybe it was because of their past together. The good and the bad times. A whirlwind of emotions came over Lemongrab, a mixture of guilt, terror, realisation and panic as to weather Lemonfriend would ever forgive him. His trail of thought was interrupted by Esme who was concerned for him.

"Are you ok Lemongrab? You have gone really pale and quiet" Lemongrab lifted his head to meet her eyes. She could see the sadness behind his eyes "What's wrong" she asked with a concerned tone in her voice. He let out a quiet sigh and tried to answer her question to the best of his ability, but with little success.

"It's my co-ruler, Lemonfriend I call him" he explained. "I've been thinking, what if he never forgives me? I know the things I was doing were totally out of order and I have felt guilty about it for ages now, but I don't want to loose him"

"Hmm" Esme let out a confused sigh. She to was wondering why only Lemonfriend was concerning him, when he had a whole species to think about and even others in other kingdoms.

"You have been talking quite a lot about him in the past few months. Do you...?" Her word stopped and she looked at Lemongrab to end her sentence. But he was confused as to what she meant.

"Do I what?" He asked.

"Do you... have a crush on him? Esme stared at Lemongrab to answer. He was quick to give it.

"What! No! I mean... I don't think so... Well... I don't know, I have never felt like this before." Lemongrab started to question himself. He would know if hehad a crush or was in love. Right?

"Well" said Esme. "Describe to me how you feel when you think or talk about him"  
He thought and thought, but didn't know how to word his feelings.

"I don't know." He replied. "My tummy sometimes feels weird and my head becomes lighter. I can't think straight, when he is on my mind. Is he making me ill?!" Esme couldn't help but laugh at the innocent lemonhead sat next to her, his worried face and eyes made her want to hug him tightly.

"You're so oblivious!" She chuckled

"What do you mean?

"The reason you feel like that is not because he's making you feel ill, but he is stealing your heart." She chuckled once more. Lemongrab was still confused as to what she was saying. His face made that apparent. Esme sighed and told him straight. "Lemongrab it's obvious, you are in love with him!" Esme exclaimed.  
Lemongrab face turned from confusion to shock.

"Are you crazy? I don't love him." But then again he was the only person who made him feel weak at the knees, maybe it was true.

"I'm telling you, those are all the symptoms of love. You're so cute Lemongrab." He snapped his head round.

"Cute?! How am I cute?" He questioned

"Just how oblivious and innocent you are... and the fact that you two would make a great couple." she explained while giving him a friendly nudge.  
Lemongrab gave a small giggle.

"Shut up."

His focus suddenly changed when he saw the kingdom come into view. The butterflies returned. He turned to his friend. "I don't think I can do this, I'm not ready for people to see me."  
Esme gave him a comforting look and hug.

"You are Lemongrab; there is no need to worry. The people will be amazed at how much you have changed. Everything is going to be fine." The gargantuan gates to the candy Kingdom gradually opened and Lemongrab started to panic. He took a long, deep breathe. There was no turning back now.


	3. Chapter 2-The anticipated reunion

Lemongrab and Esme were dropped around the back of the castle to be let in through the private tunnel, so was to not be seen by the public in case the candy people panicked. Walking through the narrow, dull passage, Lemongrab could feel sweat start to drip down his forehead. In a matter of moments he was going to see his co-ruler and creator again and the doubt suddenly overcame him like a tsunami. Each step along the dusty floor kicked up more emotions that Lemongrab still didn't understand. These steps got closer and closer together until he stopped all together. Esme turned around to see him standing in the middle of the path, staring blankly at the floor. 

"Come on Lemongrab, being late won't be a good first impression." Esme stated. However Lemongrab gave no response. "Still worried they won't trust you?" Lemongrab still kept his lips shut. In reply he slowly nodded his head. Esme walked back to him and places her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently to comfort him. "Hey, don't worry. I promise everything will go as planned" 

"What plan is that?" Lemongrab asked softly. 

"Oh yeah, sorry I didn't tell you. Well, there is a small room up ahead where I told PB and Lemonfriend to meet us." Lemongrab lifted his head to meet her soft eyes. His expression had faded in to a deep concern. "What's wrong with that?" Asked Esme. 

"Well, princess bubblegum is easy to talk to. She was my creator and I know exactly what to say, but with Lemonfriend, I have no idea. Now that I... Have these complicated emotions towards him what if I mess things up and it all goes terribly wrong. I'll lose him forever. I will be heart broken. I know I really hurt him before, but I would hate it if he ever went away." Lemongrab stared back to the floor and crossed his arms. Esme kept silent for a few moments. She had never seen Lemongrab like this. He was like a child who lost his mother. Lonely and distressed. 

"You are just nervous; I promise everything will be fine." Esme smiled at Lemongrab and gave him a friendly hug for confidence. He embraced the hug and a small smile crept across his face. "See, you think you haven't changed much, but 13 months ago you would have never let me do that. Why, you wouldn't even shake my hand." Lemongrab chuckled lightly and wandered over to the room with Esme by his side. He thought to himself, he could do this. 

As they opened the door to the room, they noticed it was empty. No sign of anybody. However in the room there was a pink wooden table and chair set that looked ancient. Two windows were opposite the door and had detailed, stain glass drawings of flowers, vines and birds on them. Curtains were more or less drawn and they were tied back by large strings of strawberry laces. Through small gaps in the windows, you could see clearly outside to the back of the castle. Below the windows a soft, dusty sofa was placed exactly between them. It was pearl white. Probably made out of marshmallows, since the whole Kingdom was made of candy. The same sofa was sitting to the left of the other, facing the table. Scattered around the room, paintings and pictures were propped against the walls. This was obviously not a room in use. Maybe just for storage. There was also a gap in the wall that lead to another little room. It was darker and more private, like a bear den. Lemongrab started to gaze at all the paintings, taking in the beauty of the art work. Esme glanced at the clock and realised it was almost time. "They will be here in a minute, how you feelin'?" Lemongrab turned to her and shrugged his shoulders. 

"Better but still have butterflies." He confessed. 

"That's normal, don't worry." Esme smiled and patted his on his back. Time started to creep by, a second turned into a minute. A minute into many. The clock continued to tick, but no sign of PB or Lemonfriend. 

"I knew it! They don't want to see me." Lemongrab jumped up from the sofa and started to pace up and down the room. Anticipation took over him and he couldn't settle. 

"I'm sure their coming. They are probably just as nervous as you are." Esme explained. 

"No, they're scared of me." Lemongrab snapped. "To be honest though, even I was scared of me, what I had become. They must have been terrified... Especially Lemonfriend. I can't believe I..." Lemongrab's words trailed off, his eyes started to tear up from the memories engraved in his brain. Taking a deep breathe in, he calmed himself down. 

"Don't think like that LG. Yes it will take time to get used to the changes, but time is a healer." Esme strolled over to the door. "I will see if I can find them. Do you mind staying here, in case they come here?" 

"Sure." Lemongrab's words were quiet. As Esme exited the room, Lemongrab walked to the window and looked out through the cracks of non-coloured glass. Some candy children were playing basketball near the forests. He remembered the pup gang and wondered whether he should talk to them and apologise for what he did to them as well. 

Time stood still. He had been waiting for 20 minutes now and still no sign of Esme, PB or Lemonfriend. "Where the hell are they?" Ridiculous, unrealistic scenarios began to fill his mind. What if they were kidnapped? Or even killed? Paranoia got the better of him, and he explored outside of the safe room. There was still no sign. Continuing his search, he paced along the never ending corridor. A few moments later he heard mumbled voices. One was Esme's. "At last!" He thought. He followed her voice through the winding, maze of corridors until he got to a door. Esme was behind the door. Before he could knock he heard his name. But it wasn't Esme. It was another female voice. It was PB! He gently places his ear on the door to listen to what she had to say. 

"You must be joking!" PB exclaimed. 

"Trust me I wouldn't lie to you. He has become a completely different person... or lemon as it were. Please just see and speak to him, you will be amazed at the..." Esme's words were cut short by PB again. 

"Lemongrab was in a state that couldn't be changed that fast! He is probably faking it just so he could come back and reek misery again with his people and mine." PB's face held a strong scowl. She was not going to be pursued easily. Lemongrab was about to walk away as he didn't want to hear anymore lies, but someone else was there. Lemonfriend.

He heard Esme address him. "Lemonfriend. Please. He could not be more sorry for what he did. He tells me all the time how heart broken he was." 

"If he really cared, then why did he do it in the first place?" Lemonfriend asked. 

"He was over come with anger and spite. It wasn't him!" The argument became a heated game of interrogation tennis. Esme fought back, defending Lemongrab with every argument they had. But what Lemongrab heard next, made his heart shatter in to a million pieces. 

"He hurt me... Terrified me... You really want me to believe that fat bastard has change!" Lemonfriend's voice broke and tears started to roll down his face. After hearing this, Lemongrab started to well-up. He too had tears crawling down his cheek. He didn't want to hear anymore, he knew that Lemonfriend hated him. So without hesitation, he ran back to the room. Meanwhile Esme was looking down at the floor, realising how tricky this was turning out to be. 

"You know... Lemonfriend. I was with Lemongrab, when he realised what he did. I still remember the fear in his eyes over what he had become. For ages he could not stop crying and kept saying how he was an f-ing monster who should not be on this world... I tried to hold him... Comforted him... He was... Shaking. He had tried... He had tried to..." Esme's words stopped as she thought about her next words. It was a delicate topic. She didn't say anymore, apart from a question." Does that sound like the Lemongrab you knew? The one with no emotion or remorse for others. On the way here, he has been quivering with nerves about seeing you two again. Please even if it is for two minutes, just see him again, talk and realised that he has changed dramatically ... For you.." Esme finished her sympathy speech. Lemonfriend was confused by what she was saying. Could it be true? And what did she mean by 'for you'.  
PB looked at Lemonfriend and saw how his expression had changed. She relaxed her scowl and faced Esme again.

"It's up to Lemonfriend, he was the one most affected. Just remember Lemonfriend, you don't have to do something you don't want to do." As PB finished, Lemonfriend stared in to her eyes, then looked at Esme. She gave him a confident smile. Her eyes were kind and bright. With a sigh he nodded his head slowly. 

"Alright, but I want the princess there as well." PB strolled over to him. 

"Of course I will be there. I wanna see if what she tells us is the truth or if she is blind to his ways." Esme gave a small frown but her smile soon appeared again as they agreed to see him. 

"You won't be disappointed you majesties. How about you compose yourselves and we will meet you in the room in 10? That way, I can let Lemongrab know and you can calm down or think of anything to say to him." The deal was made and Esme left the room to head back to Lemongrab and tell him the great news. 

Esme got close to the room, but halted when she heard someone violently sobbing. "Lemongrab?" She slowly opened the door to see Lemongrab lying on his side and had his back to the door. He was crying his eyes out. She ran over to comfort her dear friend. "Lemongrab, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Lemongrab quickly turned around and sat up straight on the sofa. His eyes were red and puffy and his face was soaked in his tears. He had cried enough tears to fill a river. 

"Yes... Yes I'm hurt!" He curled up in to a ball and continued to sob. 

"What happened? Did someone hit you?" 

"Yeah.. Right through the heart." "They stabbed it! shot it!"  
Esme was starting to feel panicked. What had gotten in to him? 

"Quit talking in metaphors and riddles and tell me straight." So he did. 

"I HEARD THEM! I HEARD THE CONVERSATION YOU HAD WITH THEM!" Every sentence was cut by a sharp inhale of breathe, as he cried and cried. "I knew that they hated me. I knew I was a monster. Even he said it; he called me a fat bastard... But the thing that got to me the most was... When he said that I terrified him. In the cart you said that we would make a good couple... But that's never going to happen because I've already scared him away? I'm useless and unlovable!" Lemongrab could continue no more. The despair and disappointment filled his mind as he rested his head gently on his knees and sobbed continuously.  
Esme felt like she had been shot through the heart. He obviously didn't hear the rest. 

"So you left before you heard the whole conversation." She asked 

"Of course. I didn't want to hear anymore about how I could never change and that I'm horrible." 

"You should of." Lemongrab gazed up at Esme puzzled. 

"Why?" 

"I convinced them to see you. I wasn't gunna let you put in all this effort to change for them only to be pushed aside by your past. Now they will be hear in 5 minutes, so calm yourself down and wipe away the tears. Things are gunna change for the better my friend." Esme smiled at Lemongrab who returned the smile. A mixture of excitement and fear was spreading across his face. 

"Really? Well... Um I need a... Um "Esme gave his a tissue to help wipe his cheeks. 

"Thank you Esme." 

"No problem, I got loads in my bag." 

"No, I mean for everything. Not giving up on me when I started at the unit. Getting me to where I am now and now you convinced them to see me. You're an amazing person." Esme felt choked at the words Lemongrab said. 

"Don't make me cry bitch, I'll smudge my eyeliner" she joked. Lemongrab gave a small chuckle and took deep breathe. He started to walk over to the small den when there was knocking at the door. Both their heads span round rapidly. "That's them." Stated Esme. 

"Oh no, I'm still a mess. Stall them." Lemongrab whispered. He run into the dark den and hid until his face wasn't red and eyes weren't so inflamed.  
Esme opened the door to invite PB and Lemonfriend in. They sat on the sofa facing the door while Esme lounged on the other. 

"Well..." Said PB. "Where is he? Thought you said he was here." Her tone was still cold and pessimistic. Esme thought about what to say. Lemongrab did not help by staying silent in the room behind her. 

"He is here. He just wanted to ...clean up before he saw you." This was partially true, but still a stupid accuse. 

"Clean up?" Lemonfriend questioned, as he raised one of his eyebrows. 

"Yeah, we had a long journey and the roads were dusty, some got in to the cart and we got covered." Complete lie, but Esme had no choice. 

"How come you're clean then?" PB pointed out. Esme started to feel hot in the face. 

"I had a spare change of clothes in my bag. I'm very clumsy you see, so if it wasn't for the road, I would have probably tripped... In a puddle." Lemongrab tried to hold back laughter. This accuse was ridiculous. Soon enough he couldn't contain the bubbling giggles any longer and accidentally let out a small spit of laughter. He clapped his hand over his mouth to stop more escaping, hoping that they didn't hear him. Unfortunately they did. 

"What was that?" Asked PB. 

"What? I didn't hear anything." Esme lied again. 

"Are you deaf? Someone else is in here." PB got up from where she was sat and walked over to the entrance to the den. Esme scrambled to her feet to stop her. She blocked the princess from going further. 

"Wait! Lemongrab's in there, he's changing" Explained Esme. 

"Why are you in there Lemongrab?" PB asked. He gave no reply. "Well? I'm waiting for a response." PB crossed her arms and scowled again. Still no reply. 

"Lemongrab, why are you keeping so quiet?" Lemonfriend questioned. His voice made Lemongrab's stomach feel twisted. His had also changed slightly, just a little deeper, but not as much as Lemongrab's. The butterflies returned again. "Not again" he thought. 

"Like I said, he had changed a lot since you last saw him." Esme started to grow impatient. Why didn't he answer them? "He's probably worried about your opinions." 

"Well we aren't going to judge his 'change' by hearing a slight snigger. So come on out LG." The princess's voice was cocky and slightly sarcastic. She still didn't believe he had changed. Lemongrab got up from where he was sitting and wondered around the corner to the light. His figure started to appear in the door frame. Each step he took was cautious and light, until he was fully out of the room and in to the bright, well-lit room. The smug look on princess bubblegum's face was slapped away and transformed into astonishment. Her mouth was gaping open slightly. As for Lemonfriend his eyes widened as he took in the new figure that stood in front of him. 

"Meet the new Lemongrab!" cheered Esme. Lemongrab rolled his eyes at his friend and looked over to Lemonfriend. His mouth was partially open as well. Shock was the soul expression on both their faces. Lemonfriend slowly stood up to walk over to him. 

"Is that really you Lemongrab?" Lemonfriend was astounded by the change.  
Lemongrab couldn't speak. All he did was nod. 

"My god... You look..." Princess bubblegum couldn't find the words to describe him. So she just didn't finish the sentence. Instead she asked him a question. "Wait, how come you're not speaking?" Esme decided to butt in at this point 

"Yeah, why not say something." She winked at Lemongrab, causing him to smile again. 

Lemongrab took a deep breathe in and said but four words.  
"What should I say?" This was enough to answer the princess's question. Both Lemonfriend and PB were amazed at the sound of his voice. It was deeper and softer than his old voice. It could only be described as... Sexy? 

"What happened to your voice? Lemonfriend was still recovering from shock. 

"Well, I stopped yelling and took medicine to heal my voice. I guess it worked." Lemongrab chuckled. His voice sent shivers down Lemonfriend's back. He really had changed. 

"Well... I apologise that I ever doubted you. Your changed is amazing. Even inspiring!" Confessed PB. 

"You have nothing to apologise for, where as I however have mountains of apologies to give, starting with you two." Lemongrab had to bite his lip to hold back the tears again. Every time he made eye contact with Lemonfriend, his heart ached from the recollection of what he said. "I have personal apologies for everyone I have wronged. You two were the most effected, so it seemed fitting to start with you." 

"If their personal, would you like one of us to leave for a while? So you can say it to the person privately." PB asked. Lemongrab thought about the suggestion for a while. 

"I don't mind. Whatever you are comfortable with." He answered. Lemonfriend glanced over at PB for a decision. He shrugged his shoulders, indicating he wasn't too worried anymore. 

"Ok, one of us can go out with... "PB stopped mid sentence and looked over to Esme.

"Sorry, I never got your name." 

"Oh, I'm Esme." She replied. PB gave a tiny smile and continued with her idea. 

"Ah, one of us can go outside the room with Esme and wait until you finished with the other person. Then switch, how's that sound?" 

"Perfect" declared Lemongrab while clapping his hands together. 

"Ok, who do you want to talk to first?" Asked Lemonfriend. Lemongrab knew exactly who, PB. He needed more time to think about what to say to Lemonfriend. 

"PB, do you mind going first?" The princess nodded gently.

"Sure." 

Esme and Lemonfriend left the room while princess bubblegum and Lemongrab placed themselves down on opposite sofas, facing each other, ready to talk to one another once more.


	4. Chapter 3-Speaking from my lemonheart

This chapter might be confusing. I split up two conversations so you get to hear them both. The first is between Lemongrab and PB then Esme and Lemonfriend and finally Lemongrab and Lemonfriend. I put mini-titles to signal the change. Hope you enjoy reading trying to be consistent and quick but I also want them to be interesting so I don't know how long they will take. Enjoy!

Lemongrab and PB:   
As the wooden door creaked shut, Princess Bubblegum and Lemongrab settled themselves down on opposite sofas. This meant they could face each other and talk. Eye to eye. Lemongrab took a deep breathe in and sighed, trying to find the courage buried within his heart. He completely forgot what he planned to say to PB. Hours of finding the right words to say gone down the drain in 5 seconds. 

"Look, I know... I mean I understand if...*sigh*." It was no use. His mind became jumbled. He became incoherent and couldn't get his emotions across to her. "I guess I'm just trying to say I'm so sorry for everything I have done in the past. And I know that a simple apology will never make up for the things I did, but if you try to forgive me I can promise you one thing, I will never ever do anything bad again. Not to the candy people, not to the lemon people and especially not to you and lemonfriend." Lemongrab's words began to fade away, as his lips quivered once more. He looked away from her woeful eyes to composed himself, however when he did he felt a hand being gently places on his. He turned back to PB whose eyes were closed and head facing the floor. She lifted her head to meet his tearful gaze. 

"Don't cry again Lemongrab, there's no need for tears." She said with a soft, motherly tone. 

"I haven't been crying and I'm not crying now." He uttered. 

"I'm not stupid Lemongrab, when I first saw you I knew you had been bawling yours eyes out. They were still puffy and red in places. Frankly, that surprised me to begin with that you, Lemongrab, who never showed any emotion had been crying. So why were you crying?" Asked PB. Lemongrab wondered if he should say anything. He didn't want her to feel like it was their fault, even if it was the words they said that upset him. No, he couldn't do that. Maybe some other time when they are closer. Biting his tongue, he finally replied. 

"I'd rather not talk about it. It's in the past anyway, can't change what's happened." 

"Are you sure? Getting things off your chest usually helps a lot." 

"No, it's fine really." He tried to side track the conversation to stop PB questioning his emotions. "Anyway, we're not here to talk about the past... Well we are, but not that past." 

"I suppose." Replied PB. Her voice was quiet and almost even worried. "So, how long did it take for you to get to...? This?" By the way PB gestured with her hands, she meant his physical change. She waved her hands slowly up and down Lemongrab's figure as if she was showing a group of tourists. 

"13 months. As soon as I got to the unit, it was learning from day one. Mental training to start with and once I was in the right frame of mind I lost weight and began training my body to become strong and protective." Explained Lemongrab. 

"I can tell. I mean... You look totally different. When you walked through the doorway, I hardly recognised you. You body, mind… voice. It's like you're a completely different person." Lemongrab presented her with a kind smile, but not before glancing down at the floor and blushing deeply. He wasn't use to taking compliments yet. But he could. It made him feel warm inside, warmth he never felt before. 

"Thanks, you look more grown up than when I last saw you." 

"Really, thanks LG." Time quickly ticked by, Lemongrab and PB had been talking a lot and actually had an insightful conversation. She had to swallow her pride and admit that she was wrong. "To be truthful Lemongrab, I didn't believe Esme when she said you had changed, but she told the truth. Yes, it might take time to get back to normal but if you are truthfully different then I will be by your side the whole way." As she finished her sentence, she gave Lemongrab a supportive smile and placing her hand on the side of his arm. She suddenly remembered that he had a thing with people touching him and quickly drew her hand back. He knew why she did this, so he decided to make it clear that he wasn't like that. He held out his arms, inviting her in for a warm hug. His small, sweet smile and sparkly eyes were also encouraging her to step in to the hug. She threw herself in to the hug, taking the opportunity while it was still open. His muscular arms wrapped around her tiny shoulders making her feel cosy and protected. They both squeezed tightly and embraced the hug. When they finally released their grip around each other, they smirked at each other and headed to the door to invite lemonfriend in. As PB opened the door, Esme and lemonfriend were sat on the floor opposite the door. Jumping up from the floor, lemonfriend stepped over to PB. 

"How did it go?" He whispered. 

"Fine. Nothing bad happened." Replied PB, who had a confident grin on her face. Lemongrab then came through the door frame. 

"Do you still want to come in?" Lemonfriend thought for a while before answering. The Princess would have said if something was wrong. 

"Of course." he replied. "After you." Lemongrab turned back in to the room and headed back over to the seat that he was in last time; lemonfriend quickly followed and shut the door behind them. 

Esme and lemonfriend:  
Esme carefully shut the old-fashioned door and looked over to lemonfriend who was sat on the floor resting his back against the ice cold, brick wall. The tunnel was bright enough for Esme to see that he was still in shock, with a hint of distress as well. So she decided to have a talk with him, just like Lemongrab and PB were doing in the concealed room. Casually she wandered over to lemonfriend, who was staring at the floor between his knees. "Mind if I sit next to you? I would like to have a chat with you."  
Lemonfriend rose his head to meet her gaze. He didn't reply verbally, instead he gave a friendly smile and nodded his head gently. Esme plonked herself down on the dusty floor and tried to tease out Lemonfriend's emotions about the whole situation. Before she could look at his face properly, he returned to his original posture. She needed to know how he felt, as he had kept quiet ever since she met him 20 minutes ago. "I know this is a shock and that it will be hard to get use to it, but everything will go smoothly if we work towards it." Esme tried to lift his spirit by convincing him the future was bright, but nothing succeeded. "I have to ask this but what do you think about Lemongrab now?" Esme was nervous of the reply, as she recalled what he said earlier. 

"Well, he's ... Different" he replied. "But I don't know what his personality is like, as they used to say, don't judge a book by the cover." 

"That's very true. However I know Lemongrab and I believe he has changed." Esme's words were cut short once again. 

"Do you though?" Snapped Lemonfriend. "Do you know really know him? Or do you only know that version of him?" Esme stared at lemonfriend in bewilderment over his sudden burst. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap." He confessed, 

"No, no it's fine, working at a rehab unit we get worse than that." Explained Esme "I understand why you would say that, you've known him for a few years but I only met him 13 months ago." Lemonfriend couldn't resist being nosy and finding out more about them. He met her gaze and began the interrogation. 

"What was he like? As in how long did it take to notice change?" Asked lemonfriend. 

"Can't lie, he was a handful to start off with. His mental state was in taters, his physical health was horrendous and to top it off he had the attitude of 1000 moody teenagers combined. But after a few months of trying the soft approach, we decided to use psychological therapy to make him see the error of his ways. Not a method I like but it worked." As Esme finished speaking, new questions popped in to Lemonfriend's head. What did they do to change him? Are there side effects? He had to get more answers. 

"Psychological therapy? What does that consist of exactly?" 

"Well, it is defiantly not one of my favourite methods to use. Usually it is only used on extreme cases like he was. You basically take piece from their past and dramatise them in the hope they discover how their actions make others feel."  
Lemonfriend's curiosity grew steadily.

"Why don't you like that method?" 

"It's messing with the persons mind, you have no idea if it will work the way you wanted it to or make them worse. Luckily for Lemongrab it worked out precisely how we wanted it to." 

"Was that the moment you were talking about earlier?" 

"Which one?" Questioned Esme. 

"You were telling us what he was like when he realised the wrongs he did. You stopped yourself speaking before you finished." Answered lemonfriend. 

"Oh yeah. Yes, that was when we went all out on him. I thought we pushed it too far but the boss said it was for his own good. It worked, but it was a dangerous move."  
Worry suddenly crept in to Lemonfriend mind. 

"What do you mean by dangerous?"  
Esme fell silent for a few moments. She knew she shouldn't be the one to tell. 

"I can't say. Asked him, he will tell you if he wants. It's...personal and quite a heavy topic." Stated Esme 

"Oh, I see." Lemonfriend glanced down at his hands which were resting on his legs. He began to twiddle his thumbs in anticipation. 

"But he has made tonnes of progress since then, you'll see." Esme petted him on the shoulder to comfort him and put his worries to rest. He let out a tiny sigh before another idea sprung to his attention. 

"There was something else I wanted to ask you." 

"Go on." Esme spoke softly and confidently. 

"Earlier on you said that he changed 'for me', but what did you mean by that." Before Esme could reply, the decaying doors latch clicked open and PB walked out of the room. Esme couldn't tell lemonfriend what he wanted, as he was already off the floor, dusting himself down and next to PB. Esme saw Lemongrab behind PB in the door frame and gave him signals to find out how it went. She threw a thumbs-up in to the air so he could see it; he smiled and began to nod his head. Lemonfriend and PB mumbled to each quietly. PB's expression was relaxed for once, giving lemonfriend more confidence to go in to the room, to speak to the man who terrorised him. 

Lemongrab &amp; lemonfriend  
Lemonfriend focused his eyes on the new man who was steadily walking in front of him towards the sofas. He couldn't help but wonder if this actually WAS Lemongrab or someone who just looked like him, impersonating him like a stick insect would to a stick. Lemonfriend placed himself gently on to the sofa where PB once was. Nerves began to fill his entire body. Stupid situation filled his head. What if Lemongrab was back for revenge? Now he is stronger, lemonfriend would be dominated by him if he attacked him out of the blue. Meanwhile, Lemongrab was also feeling the pressure. He still had no idea what to say. This was the first time he could see lemonfriend properly. He was back to his original self, full faced and had his lower body back. However, along the left side of his face, there were small scars where PB sewed the other half of his face back on. These would heal in time, but whether the memory would was another question. Maybe they were too deep to heal or forget. Every time he looked at his face, he was reminded of what his enraged self did to the person he cared about most in the world. Pushing back the negative thoughts, he tried to start the conversation and find out how he had been. 

"So... How have things been while I was away?" You could feel the awkwardness begin to rise higher and higher. Why was it so hard to talk to him? 

"They've been fine; I was struggling to cope on my own so that's when we decided to merge kingdoms. It worked out better than we thought. I hope you don't mind." Lemonfriend felt his face heat up with anxiety. He prayed that Lemongrab wouldn't lash out. His wish came true. 

"Good idea." Lemonfriend couldn't believe the words that came from Lemongrab's mouth. 

"Hugh." This grunt was his only reply, as confusion had taken control of his mind. 

"Well, I mean you said you were struggling and two kingdoms together make them stronger than one Kingdom." 

"I suppose." All lemonfriend could think about was the shreds of doubt overflowing in his mind. This couldn't have been the real Lemongrab, and if so what did they do to him to make him like this. He remembered his chat with Esme and decided to start interrogating Lemongrab as well. 

"Mind if I ask something?" Inquired lemonfriend 

"Sure, carry on." 

"You have changed dramatically from when I last remember you. What exactly did they do to snap you out of that vicious trance?" 

"Well." Replied Lemongrab. "First they helped me get in to the right frame of mind to be a good ruler, and then with the help of Esme, I trained my body and developed fighting skills." Lemonfriend knew there was something else on his mind. His face had a smile painted on, but behind his eyes hid desperation and depression. 

"Is that it?" Lemonfriend asked. 

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Why? Do you not believe me?" 

"No no, it's nearly impossible to say you didn't do any of that because of your new appearance, but... While I was waiting outside the room with Esme she described a method they used to help you. Psychological therapy. If you don't mind me asking, what was it like?" As he finished his sentence, lemonfriend felt a slight twinge of fear as to what the answer could be. 

"Oh that." Lemongrab's words were quiet and he almost sounded hurt. 

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. You don't have to say anything you don't want to." 

"Don't worry you didn't upset me. As for the answer..." Lemongrab kept relaying the thought in his head. Should he tell him everything? Or wait? 

"Well, how much do you know so far?" inquired Lemongrab. 

"Isn't it when you rethink your past but they make it seem worse to get through to you?" Responded lemonfriend. 

"Basically, yeah." 

"What did they do for you?" Lemongrab was feeling choked up just by thinking about it. While dreaming in to Lemonfriend's eyes he wondered whether he should tell him. Tell him what they showed to him. Maybe it would show him that he has changed for him. 

"They showed me a lot. I can remember Esme arguing with her boss to be patient and that I was gunna take some time." Relaxing back on to the sofa he let his head fall back on to the wall, so his gaze was now fixed on the swinging ceiling light. "He didn't listen to her. Do you want the whole truth..? Of what I saw." Lemonfriend thought about it for a few moments and nodded his head. His compassionate eyes were fixed on Lemongrab's expression, looking for signs of distress in case it was too much for him to recall. "It started with my citizens. They made me recall how I treated them and that they suffered under my rule. They would say to me that they were still terrified of me to this day. I began to break, but not enough to satisfy big boss man. So they moved on to PB and people in the candy Kingdom. Basically it was the same kind of stuff being repeated, with the added part of the princess being disappointed and distort by my behaviour. Which was true I guess, still wasn't broken enough for him. The finally situation made me crumble in to bits." Lemongrab paused. Tears were forming in his eyes, which made them sting again. It felt like his heart was being shot over and over again. Soon enough he let out a croaky ending to the story and stared directly in to Lemonfriend's eyes. "They showed me you... And what I did to you. I just..." He couldn't even pull enough will power to stop the tears running down his cheek once more. Instead he said something he should have said ages ago. "I'm sorry... So so sorry... Please forgive me." His words were mumbled and faint, but lemonfriend could still make out what he was saying. His heart began to ache, like it had just been punched. He edged closer to Lemongrab who was leaning forward, facing the floor. He placed his soft hand on the back of his shoulder and began to reassure him. Soothing him with his every touch and stroke. As Lemongrab felt his repetitive motion, he could feel his whole body shiver and heat up. His cheeks flushed pure red. He was almost disappointed when lemonfriend withdrew his hand from his shoulder, his touch made him feel crazy. He already felt addicted to it.  
As Lemongrab lifted his head, Lemonfriend's eyes were teary and sympathetic. 

"So that's what Esme meant..." Lemongrab was puzzled by the remark made by his crush. 

"What was that?" Asked Lemongrab, still choked and mumbled. 

"When she got us to see you, she said that you 'had changed yourself... For you.' By which she meant me and PB. I was confused at the time, but now I've heard your side of the tale, it makes sense now. Looking back on us... On me...Made you change. Am I rights?"  
He stared in to Lemongrab's watery eyes for a reply. He gave nothing but a simple nod.

"So what happened after that?" Lemongrab wiped away the tears and cleared his throat. 

"Like I said, I trained and became better." 

"No, I mean after the therapy. Straight after, when you... Cracked." 

"You don't want to know." Lemongrab focused his gaze to the floor. He sounded distraught and was filled with woe. 

"You can tell me. I won't judge you or discriminate against you." Lemonfriend was trying desperately to discover more, as his curiosity flared. He was on the edge of his seat, awaiting an ending to the intense cliff hanger. As Lemongrab met his gaze once more he could not help noticing the worry hidden behind his soft, wide eyes. So, he gathered his courage and ended the story. 

"After that moment, I can remember freaking out to a point where I was hysterical. I thought I was going mad. Esme tried to calm me down, but I got past her and ran to my room, locking myself in the bathroom. That was the only place there were locks." He paused for a moment. Anticipation took control of Lemonfriend as he pounced for an answer. 

"Then what?" He curiously asked. 

"I was stupid!" Exclaimed Lemongrab "Ok I made a big mistake... The moment took me; I had no idea what to do." His words faded once more. "I hated myself for what I did. You were the first person who could tolerate me and I hurt you. I thought that no one could love me after that. I saw no worth to my life anymore."  
Lemonfriend became frightened of the answer. Did he want to hear more? "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Esme kicking the door in and helping me." 

"Are you trying to say that...you tried to take your own life?" Lemonfriend's heart felt twisted at the words coming from his mouth, it was like his heart stopped beating. All he could think about was how helpless Lemongrab must of felt. 

"The straight answer is yes. I wouldn't now, but at the time I felt...worthless...unwanted...so thought it would be best for everyone." 

"No! How could you think like that?!" 

"Well it's true! You were doing fine with PB, the citizens wouldn't have to live in fear of me and I wouldn't have wasted so much of Esme's time." 

"But I would have missed you." The reply from lemonfriend made Lemongrab's heart skip a beat. He was completely baffled. 

"What do you mean?" 

"To be truthful, when you became that brute of a leader, I missed the old version of you that became buried under greed, ignorance and anger. To think what it would be like to never see you again, even in that state, would break me. You were the first person I met properly; of course I would miss you." 

"Yet not to long ago you called me a fat bastard and that I haven't changed." As the words slipped out of his mouth, he suddenly realised what he had just blurted out. 

"How did you know?" He began to sweat, as his belly tightened and twisted. 

"I tried to find Esme and may have accidentally listened in through the door. I discovered that PB was pessimistic about me and that you were still terrified." 

"I wasn't terrified!" Snapped lemonfriend. "Just angry and upset. I'm definitely not anymore. I can tell you have changed; it's clear to see." 

"But the memory is still bugging you." Lemonfriend froze. He had no idea what to say. Just like Lemongrab at the start of the conversation. He kept relaying the memory in his head, making him quiver with the fear he felt when Lemongrab bit out a large chunk out of his head. Placing his hand on his scars, he faced Lemongrab's apologetic expression. 

"..yes.." It was quieter than a whisper, but in the silent, still room it was loud enough to know the response. "Because of what you were."  
Lemongrab's hopes of being with him as a couple seemed to slip through his finger on to the stone, cold floor. Gradually draining away. Lemonfriend would never love a person who has mentally scarred them. What was he thinking? They would never be together again. That one incident had a massive effect on the future, probably affecting it forever. 

"Do you think you can ever forgive me?" Lemongrab muttered. 

"Of course.. In time." The room fell silent again for a few moments before sit was broken by lemonfriend again. "I am glad to have you back in a way. It was weird without you here as you were the only person I lived with in the beginning. Like a piece of me was missing." Lemongrab's spirit was brightened by his compassionate words. 

"As did I." They both gave each other a small, sweet smile. Their contact was broken by a knock at the door. PB peered around the door. 

"Sorry, but we need to go. We are working with the banana guards." 

"Oh no I completely forgot." Voiced lemonfriend. "I'm sorry, but I can't miss another meeting." 

"Will you see me again?" At this moment PB broke in to the talk. 

"Of course you will, now that you live here." She smirked at him and waited for him to realise her words. Lemongrab's eyes grew wide. 

"You mean... You are letting me come back... For good?" 

"Yes, I believe you have changed. Esme has ordered for yours and her stuff to be delivered here." 

"You're letting Esme stay to?" He couldn't hold back his gradual, growing smile spread from cheek to cheek. 

"Yeah, she still needs to finish training you and plus I think she would make a good addition to the kingdom. But know this..." PB stepped forward and pointed at Lemongrab. "Anymore attacks on people or any trouble at all, you will be out of his like a rocket. Got that?" Lemongrab couldn't summon the words to his lips so he just nodded to show he understood. PB lowered her hand and gestured to lemonfriend to follow her. 

"See you around I guess." Said lemonfriend. 

"Yeah, speak later." Lemongrab couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice. As lemonfriend left, Lemongrab suddenly realised what lemonfriend did to him. He wanted him near him. He wanted to hear his voice again. Feel him again. But his confusing feelings will have to wait as he has a lot of unpacking to do with Esme in their new home. 


	5. Chapter 4-New home, new embarrassments

A few moments after Lemonfriend and PB had departed the room, Lemongrab decided to find Esme and help her with their possessions. Exiting the room, he began the short journey, directly back to where they were dropped off that morning. As he commenced the walk towards the back of the castle, he started to reminisce about the conversation between him and Lemonfriend. The more he thought about how he felt, the deeper he began to suspect that what Esme said was true. He kept thinking about how every touch made him shiver. His presents was enough to make his tummy feel like a butterfly farm and he could even remember how much his deep, brown eyes sparkled under the light of the blazing sun. Lemongrab's mind started to wander far away from reality, yet he still carried on strolling through the hallways. He kept circling his thoughts as to whether he was just nervous or whether he really did love Lemonfriend. "If it was just nerves, I would have been like it with PB, shouldn't I?" He asked himself. Despite being content in his dream world, he was suddenly brought crashing back to reality when he bumped clumsily in to a wall. His eyes were watery, as he bashed his nose against the stone wall. It's pretty hard to not bump it. Rubbing his nose and forehead, he reconfigured where he was and realised he was almost at Esme. Opening the back door to the castle, he spotted Esme sat on a bench opposite the Castle. It was surrounded by trees which covered it from the midday sun. Lemongrab never realised how hot it was until he stepped out of the door and started to stride over to Esme. She was too busy drawing in her sketch book to even realise that he was standing right in front of her. Glancing down at the book, he noticed she was drawing the castle. The castle was in a very breathe-taking spot. It was surrounded by pink and purple candy trees with peach coloured mountains in the horizon. There was not a cloud to be seen in the clear, blue skies of summer and the wildlife was serenading all other living creature.

"That's a good sketch." He forenamed. Esme almost jumped out of her skin.

"Oh my glob Lemongrab, you scared me!"

"Sorry Esme, you seemed to be working very hard and I didn't want to disturb you straight away." Confessed Lemongrab, as he placed himself beside her on the bench.

"So you decided to give me a heart attack instead?" Lemongrab chuckled at his innocent friend.

"I'm sorry. I meant what I said though, you're amazing at drawing." Esme stopped doodling and glanced down at her creation.

"Thanks LG; maybe I could help you with some artist skills."

"Are you kidding? I'm no artist." Stated Lemongrab.

"You could be." Smiles began to appear on both their faces. But immediately after, Esme put down her sketch book and turned to Lemongrab. "So, tell tell tell! What happened between you and Lemonfriend?" Her voice had a cheeky tone, like she was trying to embarrass him.

"Well obviously nothing like that!" He exclaimed. "But I think it went ok. Didn't get to say everything I wanted though."

"Like your love confession." Joked Esme.

"Come on Esme be serious."

"Alright alright, what did you talk about?" Asked Esme.

"A similar thing to PB but it was hard to summon all my thoughts; they seemed to disappear. I told my story, said my apologies and found out how he was, that was the furthest we got." Their chat was soon interrupted by the clip clop of horse hooves on the gravelled path. Their items had finally arrived at their new destination, ready to be ordered in to new places. Esme tipped the driver for helping to unload their luggage and 10 minutes later he left them once and for all. It would take a couple of trips to get all their stuff from where they were to their rooms, but together it would take under an hour. They started by moving everything in to the back of the castle out of sight and sheltered from the blistering sun beams. Once they finished, all that remained was the strenuous trips back and forth. Starting with Esme's stuff. She had 3 light brown, medium suitcases with clothes, shoes and other essentials inside them. She also had her training equipment, including focus mitts, air shields, armour and hand and leg protectors. As for Lemongrab he had a fraction less than Esme. Instead he had 2 black, slightly larger suitcases with his clothes and essentials. In a big training bag, he carried his armour, boxing gloves and train kit. He also carried his guitar he made and put the strap around his shoulder, resting it on his back. Once they dropped off the last of his bags, they both slumped on nearby chairs in Lemongrab's room. Both their rooms were basic as they were intended for guests. Both had red, cotton bed covers on a double bed, a white wardrobe and dresser set, a small table and two chairs, a clean, wooden mirror and a small private bathroom.

"That was a bitch." Said Esme, as she strongly exhaled.

"You can say that again." Agreed Lemongrab. Then from out of the blue, a thought popped in to his mind. "Hey, I never asked about what you and PB talked about, while I was with Lemonfriend."

"Oh yeah, well I asked for her opinion and she was extremely surprised at your change. But... I don't know; there was something about her that made me think she was still not totally convinced. Like she was acting." Esme started to think back to the scenario. She could easily picture PB's expression while she was gossiping to her.

"Probably. I mean it would be too quick for her to forget everything I did. She just needs time I guess."

"Well put Lemongrab but I'm wondering, if she doesn't fully believe in you, why is she covering it up? She can just say." This boggled Esme's mind as she started to try and piece the puzzle together. "Well, I should leave you to your unpacking, as I have loads as well." Esme stood up from the padded seat and paced over to the door. "See you later for training at 6. Don't forget!"

"I won't." Esme's room was further down the corridor and around the corner so Lemongrab was now left alone again. Alone with his bewildering thoughts beguiling him. His eyes commenced the search around his new room. Each wall was painted a pale, cream colour with a hint of lemon yellow. Just to his liking. The windows faced the door which had hooks in the back of it for coats. His bed had a dark brown frame with detailed swirl patterns on the outside and all four corners had round, bronze balls on them. The room had an ideal amount of light streaming through the clear glass windows. Enough to light the whole room but it doesn't blind everyone standing there. He drew his velvet, red curtains to block out some of the heat seeping through. He was hot enough already from carrying everything up 2 floors. Lemongrab turned round to see his packed belongings scatter throughout the room. He decided to find his music player and headphones, as he finds music makes him work quicker. As he glanced in the mirror, he was reminded how he became furious with blombo, one of the children from pup gang, and reminded himself that if he saw them, he should apologise. Although he was reluctant to start, he put on his music and the unpacking was soon underway.

He was just about to finish sorting out his draws, when he was startled by a gentle pat on the shoulder. His whole body jerked becoming tense and a large gasp escaped his lips. He turned his head to see it was PB who wanted his attention.

"Sorry for scaring you Lemongrab, I was calling your name from the door but you couldn't hear me." PB stated.

"Don't worry, you just made me jump." Replied Lemongrab."I shouldn't have my music this loud anyway." In order to speck with PB properly, he turned off his music and removed his headphones. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just came to see how you were settling in, even though it's only been 2 hours."

"Yeah all done I think." Lemongrab peered around the room to admire his handy work.

"Well I also came here to ask you something." Lemongrab glanced back to PB who was staring at the floor, twiddling her thumbs. "I know it's every soon but on Thursday we are holding a buffet type party, well it's more of a gathering but whatever you want to call it." PB continued to babble on nervously. "and I wondered if you and Esme would like to come. I haven't asked her yet because I wanted to run it over with you first in case you didn't want to." Lemongrab pondered the idea of going to this 'party'.

"How many people will be going?" Inquired Lemongrab.

"Oh just a couple... Neighbouring kingdoms."

Kingdoms!" Snapped Lemongrab.

"Don't panic it's not something like that. It's a formal meeting of royalty from other kingdoms to strengthen our trust in one another, so it will only be them not civilians." Lemongrab gave a deep sigh of relief. However he still wondered whether he should go. It seemed very early to be meeting everyone.

"Isn't it a bit... Early to be seeing all these people and plus I don't have a suit to wear.

"I don't think so; it would be good to show you off." Joked the princess. "As for a suit, I have a plan for that. Are you free at the moment?"

"Yeah until 6, why?" Questioned Lemongrab.

"I'm going to tell Esme about the party and then I'm taking you down to the tailor to get measured up for a suit." Lemongrab was almost in a state of shock.

"What? Now? What about all the candy people seeing me?" Princess bubblegum sighed and turned her back on him to walk to the door,

"You got to stop worrying about what people think of you. You're with me so you will be fine. I will be back in a minute." And as quick as a flash, she was gone; running to tell Esme about the plans. Lemongrab felt dazed and confused about what just happened. The plans of lying low had escaped through the window, as now he was going to blatantly walk down the street in broad daylight for everyone to see. Nerves began to overflow him. He tried to block them but it was too late, they had already invaded his mind. A few moments later, PB returned to collect him. They walked out his room together and carefully shut the door behind then. Still walking towards the front of entrance, Lemongrab tried to start up a conversation.

"So what did Esme say about the idea?" Inquired Lemongrab.

"She felt honoured to be invited. She said she had the perfect dress to wear" chuckled PB. "She also mentioned how good this would be for your confidence."

"I suppose." He quickly replied. "Are you sure about this? What if the candy people freak out?"

"As you're with me they won't worry. I don't even think they will recognise you." Before Lemongrab could reply he heard peppermint butler call out for the princess.

"Princess, I need to talk to you about Thursday. What should I add to the second tab...?" His words disappeared as Lemongrab turned around. The butler held a confused scowled. "Did you make another Lemongrab?" He queried.

"No." Replied a confident PB. "This is the original, new and improved Lemongrab." Lemongrab couldn't say anything so he just raised his hand to give him a slight wave and curved his lips to present a faint smile.

"Oh... Right... Wait a second..." PB had to cut him short.

"Sorry Mr peppermint, we will discuss this later. We need to get down to the tailor." PB grabbed Lemongrab's arm and yanked him towards the main doors and out on to the street.

As the sun showered them with heat, princess bubblegum and Lemongrab started their quick walk to the nearest tailor. Lemongrab felt like there were a million eyes staring him down. Studying his every move. He didn't know whether the sweat forming on his brow was from the sun or because of the people confusingly peering at him. The candy people started to mutter to each other. They were saying things on the lines of "is that him?" And "did PB make another? Does she never learn?" Lemongrab's attention was soon directed towards PB, who had noticed how uncomfortable he felt. She tried to take him mind off things by creating small talk.

"So, earlier you were telling me about a friend you made at the unit, you never said his name." PB couldn't think of anything else to say, but at least it made him focus on something other than the candy people.

"Scott or Scotty as I would call him. He used to call me Leonard as he miss heard me the first time we met. I didn't mind it so I just let him carry on, he seemed happy enough." A faith smile spread across his face as he remembered the great times he had with Scott. "Poor Scott was a repeat offender and was in and out all the time. He was never like it inside the unit, so I guess he is just too removed from the real world."

"Do you think you will ever see him again?"

"Probably not, he won't be let out anytime soon and I certainly don't want to go back."

"I thought you said the unit was a nice place." Stated PB.

"Oh it was, it's just that I prefer being free and places that are quiet. Every night you'd hear someone screaming in anger."

"Must have been tough living there."

"How do you mean?" Questioned Lemongrab.

"Well, wasn't there lots of fights and stuff?"

"Occasionally, but it was pretty well controlled." Their insightful chat had come to an end as they approached a pink and white, candy cane door. PB stepped forward opening the door, which hit a bell above it. The bell chimed as they entered the tailor. Lemongrab gazed at all the material and half sewn suits around him. Some were classy and swish, while other had bright frills. One in particular suit looked like it was for someone in the circus. "If you make me wear something like that, I will never forgive you." Lemongrab teased. PB began to quietly giggle.

"Don't worry, I wont put you through that much embarrassment. Besides I wouldn't want to be seen near you in that." Joked PB. Both of their attentions were caught by an old candy lady, steadily walking through a door frame which had small, ancient beads covering the entrance.

"Ah hello, is that the young princess? How can nanny Moa help you?"

"Hello Mrs Moa." Said PB. Her tone was sweet and innocent, like a child. "I have come with my friend; he needs an evening suit for a gathering I'm holding. Would you mind helping him find something?"

"Well of course not." Lemongrab was stunned by her eager response, but by the way she was squinting it was obvious she was short sighted and didn't have her glasses on. "If you could both follow me through to the back, we will sort you out in no time." The frail old lady turned and headed back through the door. PB patted Lemongrab's back to reassure him and lead him through. He had to bend down slighting in order to not whack his head on the solid, wooden frame. Her private room was quite large but you couldn't get lots of people in there. There was just enough room for a desk and sewing machine, railing for clothes, a few boxes of cotton thread and a small changing room. In the middle of the room there was a step for people to stand on while being measured and steps for Mrs Moa to use as she was moderately short. It was slightly cooler in this room as there were no windows letting the scorching sun beams seep through the glass, there were just lots of small, bright lights and lamps to brighten the room. While Mrs Moa was trying to find her tape measure she began to take some information from Lemongrab."By what I can see without glasses, you are quite tall." This was directed to him, so he decided to cut his silence and speak.

"Well, taller than others I suppose."

"In that case, princess bubblegum can have the step to perch on while I measure you up." Suggested Mrs Moa.

"Thank you Mrs Moa." Replied PB. She carefully picked up the step and placed it in the corner of the room, near the door. Finally, Mrs Moa had found her tape measure and grabbed a near by note book and pen. She started to write down what she needed to measure like leg height, chest, arm length ECT. She waddled over to Lemongrab who was standing where the step used to be. When she was next to him, she began to rub her chin with her gnarled finger.

"Is something wrong?" Inquired Lemongrab.

"Nothing bad." Said Mrs Moa. "Your shirt and trousers seems to be baggy in places which could make the measurements wrong. Do you mind taking them off? Just for now." Lemongrab's cheeks were flushing a pure red as he reluctantly replied.

"Uhh, I suppose it's ok." Mrs Moa smiled and turned around to sort out her desk while he undressed. He began to unbutton his shirt and undo his belt, when he immediately remembered that PB was standing behind him. He stopped undressing and turned to PB. "Did you want to go out or..."

PB was slightly confused as to what he meant. "No I'm fine." Then it suddenly hit her. "Oh! Oh! Yeah I'll wait outside." She also began to blush as embarrassment flooded her mind. She had left the room but curiosity overtook her so she peaked through the gaps in between the beads, like a hormonal teenage girl. Lemongrab let his shirt drop down his back to reveal his muscular biceps and strong shoulders. He folded it up and put it on a chair near by. He did the same for his trousers. PB felt hot in the face as she gazed at the model-like figure. He had a fighter's body. Mrs Moa had now found her glasses and turned to face Lemongrab once more. Her eyes doubled in size by the shook of seeing Lemongrab standing helplessly in the middle of her room in just his boxers. She still didn't know it was him, but his figure was enough to captivate anyone.

"Well aren't you a handsome one." She chuckled. Lemongrab shyly put his hands in front of himself. His face was now bright red and full of embarrassment. "There's no need to be blushing dear." She chuckled once again. "You have a lovely figure."

"Uh, thank you." This was all Lemongrab could say as he started to finally calm down and relax more.

"Now just relax, don't breathe in and I will be done in a jiffy." Mrs Moa started by measuring his outside leg length first, and then moved on to the inside and thigh width. Although this made Lemongrab jolt with discomfort, she was soon finished and fetching her steps to measure his upper body. This gave Lemongrab a chance to look at all the suits around him. They all seemed to juxtapose each other. Some were bright, others were dark. Some had patterns, while a few had nothing but one block of colour. All of his concentration was soon brought back when he felt a fragile pair of arms wrap around his waist. Mrs Moa was back and was wasting no time in getting the measurements she needs. After a few more double checks, she had finished and asked him to wait over in the changing room while she got PB and the right suit for him. Remaining unclothed, he drew the curtain to conceal is lemon body and waited for someone to come get him. Soon enough he heard PB walk through the beads.

"Sorry, I was just finishing a call with Finn." Claimed PB. "So, was it ok?"

"Yeah, nothing bad happened, apart from me turning in to the only red lemon in Ooo." Replied Lemongrab. PB began to silently giggle at her shy creation.

"I don't know why you get so embarrassed."

"I've never been bare in front of a stranger before." Confessed Lemongrab.

"You weren't naked or anything. What do you think she would have done pounced on you?" Teased PB.

"No I knew that but..." Their conversation was soon ended by the entrance of the ageing lady.

"I think I found the perfect suit. It's the right size and it will look great on you." She hurried over to Lemongrab to hand over the suit, which was in a bag. He couldn't help feeling pessimistic about the suit but once he unzipped the bag, his worries were taken away. It was a white shirt with silver cufflinks, a black tie, jacket and trousers with black braces which had green stitches along the edges. He slipped in to the trousers and pulled up the braces, whilst tucking in the shirt. He buttoned up the shirt with one open at the top and fixed the cufflinks. However, when it came to the tie he struggled to tie it properly. He fiddled with it trying to make it look perfect, but it was no use. He sighed deeply and asked PB for help.

"PB do you mind doing my tie?" He asked.

"Of course, come here." Lemongrab drew back the curtain that once protected him from everyone's gaze and stepped back to the middle of the room. "You're already looking very smart." Stated PB. She folded up his collar and wrapped the tie around his tough neck. He tried to follow how to do a tie, but he was soon lost and confused once more. Once PB had tightened the tie, Mrs Moa, past his jacket to him and dragged a mirror out from the changing area. Adjusting the jackets position, he glared in to the mirror to greet his reflection. He was overjoyed by the choice of suit.

"What do you think PB?" He said while studying his figure.

"I think you look very handsome, trendy and smart." PB turned to Mrs Moa. "Thank you, I think you found the one first time." Mrs Moa gave a gummy smile and walked over the Lemongrab.

"Yes I though this suit would be perfect for you. Just goes to show you should never doubt my judgement." She said whilst performing a slight wink.

"We never did." Said PB

Lemongrab had now changed back in to his original outfit and they were back in the main shop ready to pay for the suit. PB handed over some money and told Lemongrab she had to make a quick call. PB leisurely walked outside while Lemongrab waited inside the shop for his suit and shoes to be packed and ready. He glanced over to the ancient lady who was struggling to get a box down from a shelf. As she was quite old, he wondered if he should help her. "Do you want me to get that?" He asked.

"Oh thank you dear. I would usually have my steps but they're out the back" Lemongrab smiled at the innocent old lady as he effortlessly brought down the shoe box and handed it to her. Suddenly he heard a scream. Spinning around rapidly, he saw a lonely, young candy person being threaten by masked criminals. Without hesitation he bolted out the door and towards the ruffians.

"Hey!" He shouted. "What are you doing to this citizen?" The attackers attention was now fully on Lemongrab. As they had masks on you could hardly tell who it was but all you could see is that they were two young men.

"This isn't your business pal!" Yelled the shorter, masked robber. "So just walk away before you get hurt!"

"That's not going to happen." Lemongrab stood his ground. "Just leave him alone." For the situation he was in, Lemongrab's voice was very calm and collected. Both attackers turned away from the civilian and focused their attention on Lemongrab. The same attacker spoke up to him.

"You should have run while you had the chance." His voice was intense and threatening.

"If you're trying to scare me it's not working." Stated Lemongrab. Before he knew it a fist was flying towards his face. In reaction he grabbed the fist with his hand and pushed the attackers hand back behind him, so he had his back to Lemongrab and was pinned.

"Who do you think you are?" Snapped the masked man. His helper was doing nothing but watching in astonishment as his once ruthless partner was now helpless in a matter of seconds. Lemongrab resisted the urge to speak anymore or fight anymore so he simply pushed the attacker away, letting him stumble in to his friend.

"Doesn't matter who I am, but it does matter that you are pestering innocent people! Now go!" Without hesitation, the attackers stumbled back and away from him, leaving their stolen goods and prides behind. Lemongrab looked down to the young candy man who was still shaking slightly from the experience. "Are you ok sir?" He asked whilst handing the bag back to the man.  
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you helping me, you're alright after all Lemongrab" the citizen smiled brightly at him. Lemongrab was quick to return the smile.

"Thank you. Tell me if they come back, ok?" The civilian nodded to show that he understood and continued his day. Lemongrab proudly walked back to the shop to meet PB and finally get his suit. As he turned around, he noticed PB was standing in complete bewilderment over what she just witnessed. She held the same facial expression as Lemongrab walked towards her.

"Lemongrab, that was amazing. Thank you for helping one of my citizens." PB was full of delight and pride over the heroic actions of her 'failed' experiment.

"It was nothing, really. Do those troublemakers cause mischief often?"

"No, I've never seen them before." She had a slight shake in her voice. Like she was trying to conceal something. Lemongrab couldn't help but notice her nervousness and wondered whether she was lying.

"You don't seem so sure. Have they threatened you as well?" Lemongrab's voice sounded worried and agitated.

"No no, I'm just still in amazement over your actions. I know it was small, but for you it's much more than that." PB sent him proud smile, which let his temper settle. "Come on, you need to get back to the castle. It's quarter past 5!" With immediate action, they both briskly wondered back to the castle.

As they walked through the castles dramatically big door, Lemongrab and PB parted their ways. Lemongrab headed to him room, while PB walked in the opposite direction to her lab as she had business to attend to. Lemongrab was almost back to his room. He could start to feel the anxiety lift from his shoulders, only to be piled back on again when he bumped in to peppermint butler. They had both turned round the corner, but the butler had clothes mounted in a pile in front of his eyes. He fell to the floor throwing all the neatly folded clothes in to the air. The butler gave a disgruntled moan as the clothes scattered all around him. "I'm sorry; I didn't see you coming round the corner." Lemongrab sounded sincere with his apology. He automatically started to pick up the crumbled clothes near him while the butler stumbled to his feet and also began the task of gathering the up the clothes.

"That is quite alright your earlness; I should really look where I'm going." Peppermint butler's had an essence of fear, but who could blame him. He also has a past with the earl, in which he shouted at the butler and jailed him. "I'm guessing that you're coming on Thursday evening, seeing as you have a new suit." He peered over to the bagged suit and shoes which Lemongrab had placed on the floor.

"Yeah." Lemongrab sighed. "PB invited me. Said it would be nice for me to meet everyone again."

"That's a nice idea. Do you have any requests for food at the tables? We are putting on a spread that people can pick at throughout the night." Lemongrab handed back the last of the clothes to Peppermint and began to think about his favourite food, but his mind had gone blank.

"No, it's ok. I will have what's there."

"Alright master Lemongrab. If you think of anything don't hesitate to tell me." The nervous butler bowed politely and promptly continued his daily work.

Lemongrab had finally arrived at his room and threw himself on to the bed. As he landed heavily on the bed, he sighed deeply to show his relief about being hidden in his room again. He peered over to the clock and realised it was almost 6 o'clock. Springing up from the bed, he dashed over to his chest of draws to find his training kit. He grabbed his black t-shirt and knee-length shorts with a blue strips going down the outside of each leg. He practically ripped off his shirt and jeans and clumsily got changed in to his kit. Before he ran out the door, he remembered he needed his trainers. He search high and low but couldn't find them anywhere. His shoes where playing hide and seek with him. Suddenly there was a genial knock on the door.

"Lemongrab? Can I come in?" It was only Esme.

"Yeah." He cried whilst still hunting for his trainers. As she entered the room, she was puzzled. Lemongrab was led on his stomach pushing bags apart under his bed. Usually for training, Esme would have her hair tied up and she would wear leggings and a blue strap top to keep her cool. Especially when the sun decided to blast missiles of heat to the earth. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Inquired Esme.

"Trying to find my trainers, I can't find them anywhere." Esme studied the room. Within moments she spotted his shoes hiding under the shirt he tore of his body only a few minutes ago.

"You mean those?" She pointed to the shoes, as Lemongrab scrambled up and peered in the direction she was pointing. Once he spotted them, he let out quiet grunt, while dragging his feet to his shoes.

"Thank you." He mumbled. While he was sat on the chair doing up his laces, Esme spotted his suit in the bag.

"Oooh, is that your suit you got?" She asked joyfully.

"Yeah, do you mind hanging it up in my wardrobe?" Esme nodded and delicately picked up the bag. She unzipped the bag to have a peek at the contents.

"Very smart. You'll look like a spy." She teased. Lemongrab started to chuckle faintly.

"Yeah, I might." He pounced up from his seat and waited for Esme to lead the way outside.

They had finally reached the grounds of the castle. It was boxed in by parts of the castle and the wall that surrounded the kingdom, so Lemongrab felt safe from curious candy citizens. Esme had brought down some equipment ready to begin the training. He could see their swords in a rotten, wooden holder, waiting to be used. She had also brought down focus mitts for light and fast punching.

"Right, I think we will start by stretching, and then move on to that move I taught you recently." They began to stretch out their whole body, ready to exercise it vigorously. Esme was not one for slaking when it came to physical training. "Do you remember your new move?" Esme asked softly.

"Yeah, I think so." Lemongrab was concentrating on not falling over as he stretched out his quadriceps. Esme finished her stretching and turned to grab an air shield for Lemongrab to practise his kick, but suddenly realised she had let it in her room.

"Damn it! I left the air shield in my room. When you're done stretching, practise some moves with your sword, I won't be long." As a quick as a flash, Esme ran back in to the castle leaving Lemongrab to keep going over his sword techniques. The first flight of stairs were easy for Esme, but her energy levels soon dropped after the second flight so she slowed down to a speed walk. Whilst walking down the corridor she noticed Lemonfriend daydreaming out of a window. His back was facing Esme, so she crept up behind him undetected to find out what he was doing. Once she was right behind him, she spoke up to make her presence known. "Nice day isn't it." Lemonfriend's knees weakened from shock. He almost let out a squeak of fright, but was able to hold it back and tone it down to a minor gasp.

"Was that necessary? Scaring me half to death?" Lemonfriend clutched his heart like he was having heart failure. To him it felt like it, but he soon got his heart beat back down to normal speed and continued to stare out the window.

"Sorry, I must have been too quiet on my feet." She peaked over Lemonfriend's shoulder and was shocked to see that the window overlooked the training grounds. He was not gazing at the awe inspiring forests or memorising mountings. No. Lemonfriend's head was facing downward towards the ground. He had no clue that Esme was watching him, nor did he realise that he was unable to lift his gaze away. "Very nice view here." Her tone was cheeky, like she wanted a dramatic response.

"Yeah, the nature surrounding the castle is...angelic." Esme wasn't taking a word he said seriously. She heard the nervous quiver in his speech.

"Are you sure you're admiring the nature?"

"What are you inferring?" His cheeks burnt a ruby red.

"The trees and mountains are up here; your gaze seems to be wondering down there." She leant down to peer at the ground to see Lemongrab working hard with his techniques. "So you're admiring THAT view." She peaked her eyebrows and began to tease Lemonfriend even more.

"What?! No no no, I wasn't..." Esme couldn't help but giggle at the childish lemon standing next to her.

"Don't try and cover it. What else is down there apart from the barely visible flowers and weeds?" Lemonfriend felt his face heat up at an alarming rate. "So, tell me the truth. Why are you spying on Lemongrab?" Lemonfriend rapidly spun round to face Esme.

"I'm not spying!" He snapped. "I was looking out the window, and then you guys walked out. I was only wondering what you were up to." He glanced down to the floor, too embarrassed to make eye-contact with her.

"Don't worry it's normal to be curious. We are training if you still wondered. At the moment he is doing a stage 4 sword combo. If you want, you could always come down and learn with us."

"No!" His sudden response made Esme jolt. "I mean... Maybe another time. I'm busy at the moment." Esme raised one of her eyebrows again to show her disbelief in Lemonfriend's excuse.

"Busy 'admiring views' or people in this case." Lemonfriend glared in to Esme's eyes. He had become irritated and was not happy with all the teasing from her. "Fine, whatever. Just remember if you change your mind we will be out there for an hour so just join if you want." As Esme walked away to get the shield, she felt Lemonfriend quickly pursue her and tap her on the shoulder. She turned her head around to glance back at him. With his head facing the ground, he reluctantly spoke to her one more time.

"Please don't tell Lemongrab about this. He'll think I'm a creep and I don't want that." Esme could help but laugh to herself, as she knew that Lemongrab would probably blush in the knowledge that his crush was admiring his moves.

"I promise." Giving Lemonfriend a final friendly smile, she walked away him to collect what she needed. She also had to gather some thoughts flying around her head. Like was he telling the truth? Or is there another reason he was looking out the window? No, it was too much of a coincidence. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, found the shield and hurried on to Lemongrab.

When she returned Lemongrab was slightly sweaty and breathless from the repeat moves he had been doing. "You were gone ages. What took so long?" He asked while taking a long, well-earned drink. Esme remember what Lemonfriend said and stayed true to her word.

"Stupid thing had hidden itself away." The air shield was half the size of Lemongrab, so very hard to lose.

"A big thing like that?" Lemongrab was beginning to suspect something but couldn't pin point what.

"It was under my bed, I forgot I put it there." Esme quickly changed the subject to avoid exposing what really went down. "Anyway, we've wasted enough time already. Let's get going." They began to train relentlessly. Every hit, kick and swing was packed with all of their effort. They were determined to break a sweat and feel a burn in their muscles.

An hour had past and the kingdom was starting to be covered by a layer of darkness as night fell. Hot and sweat, both Lemongrab and Esme headed back for a shower and a long, deserved sleep in their new, cosy rooms. They bided themselves goodnight and separated once more.


	6. Chapter 5-You're playing on my mind

Lemongrab entered his room and threw his sword on to his bed. Every muscle on his body ached from training and he was ready for a hot shower. He grabbed his towel from off the back of the chair and opened the door to the bathroom. However as he swung open the door, he heard a gasp and witnessed a yellow body bolt behind the shower curtain. Without hesitation he whipped his head around to avoid looking at the young, nude body. "Who are you and what are you doing in my room!?" Lemongrab felt an urge to run back and get his sword to confront the person who dared to be in his room without permission, but resistant and decided just to talk to them. He slowly opened his eyes and peered round to see who it was. "Show yourself." The young shadow figure started to gradually step to the edge of the curtain, to pop his head round the corner. Lemongrab was shocked by the face that greeted him. "Lemonfriend?" In the knowledge that it was him, he hid his eyes once again to show respect. "May I ask what you're doing in here?"

"Sorry Lemongrab I forgot this was your room now. My shower always breaks and I usually come here, I'll leave." Before Lemonfriend could get past the shower, Lemongrab lifted his hand to make him halt.

"No it's ok; if your shower doesn't work you can shower here." He was calm and gentle to the startled, embarrassed lemonhead that stood before him.

"Oh no, it's fine. Looks like you need one more than me." Lemonfriend studied Lemongrab's sweaty figure.

"I insist; you can go first." Lemongrab began to close the door. When he was abruptly summoned by Lemonfriend.

"Wait!" Lemongrab glanced back, but still didn't make full eye contact to respect Lemonfriend's dignity. "If we are going to keep arguing about this, then there's one solution." Lemongrab gave him his full attention and awaited the idea. But what escaped Lemonfriend's lips greatly surprised him. "Join me."

"I'm sorry, what!?" Lemongrab's face started to fell hot and painted itself a pale shade of red.

"Yeah, why not? It will save water and we will both be clean. There are no negatives to this. Come on." Lemonfriend disappeared behind the curtain but not before gesturing to Lemongrab to follow him in to the private shower. Lemongrab couldn't help but feel totally puzzled by the sudden idea from his co-ruler. He reluctantly closed the door behind him and started to undo the string on his shorts, while Lemonfriend turn on the steaming shower. Soon, all that was left to take off was his boxers. Waves of nerves started to overflow him as he steadily pulled down the only things left protecting his body from hungry eyes. His every step towards the shower was small and cautious, like he was walking on a type rope. "Are you coming in or what? The water is really nice today." Lemonfriend sounded way too confident about the situation unfolding. Had he done this before?

"Yeah I'm here." Lemongrab pulled back the curtain every so slightly to avoid exposing Lemonfriend, but just enough to fit his body through. As he stepped into the slippery tub, Lemonfriend moved his head back from under the water to watch Lemongrab get in. This caused Lemongrab to turn bright red and triggered his hands to sneak in front of himself. Lemonfriend gave a quiet giggle.

"Don't be so childish. It's not like I haven't seen one before." Lemongrab had never felt so exposed, but he slowly relaxed his arms and let them rest by his side. He looked up at Lemonfriend who was washing the top of his head. This gave him an opportunity to appreciate the young, tender body which was stood in front of him. "Do you mind doing my back if I do yours?" Lemonfriend passed back some lemon scented body wash for him to use on his back. Lemongrab delicately took the bottle from his hand and squeezed a drop out on to his hand, to rub together to create a soapy lather. Gradually he step closer to Lemonfriend and got to work rubbing the wash over his back. He started at the top of his shoulders, massaging the warm water in to his tender muscles. He then got steadily lower down his back, drawing small circles with his large hands. When he had done, he signalled his completion to Lemonfriend.

"I think I got everywhere." He scanned the young man's back for places he missed, but discovered none.

"Thank you." Lemonfriend elegantly turned round to wash off the soap from his back. This caused Lemongrab to react by putting his hands over himself again. Lemonfriend smiled and sighed at the shy lemonhead. "Stop acting like that."

"Like what?" He had become extremely sheepish of the situation at this point.

"You're acting all skittish and recessive around me."

"Can you blame me?" Lemongrab could feel his discomfort and embarrassment rising. This was empathised to an extraordinary level when Lemonfriend held on to his wrists and pulled then apart. He released his light grip on Lemongrab and peered up to him meet his gaze. Lemongrab was stunned and bright red from the hasty action of his clone.

"See, it's not difficult to just relax and let it hang loose once in a while." He chuckled. "Anyway, it's your turn now." Lemonfriend rotated his finger in front of Lemongrab, showing him he needed to turn around. Lemongrab obeyed the command and hesitantly turn to face the shower wall. Lemonfriend's soft, soapy hands made him jump, but he soon relaxed in to his touch. "You're all tense. I bet your muscles hurt from training as well?"Lemongrab couldn't summon the words, so in response he let his head drop and rise up again. "Well I can sort that out." Lemonfriend wasted no time and started to work on Lemongrab's strong, back muscles. He began his work at the top on his shoulder and neck muscles, gripping them gently and then smoothing them out. He used his thumbs to caress the shoulder blades. Lemongrab started to fell dizzy from his subtle touch and rolled his neck side to side to click it in place. Lemonfriend then continued to rub down his muscular back. "I can already fell you getting less tense." He seductively whispered in to Lemongrab's ear. "Your backs done now." Lemongrab opened is heavy eyes and span round to face Lemonfriend again. Lemonfriend step incredible close to Lemongrab and skipped behind him, but only did this to give him access to the shower, in order to wash off the soap. Lemongrab placed himself under the waterfall of clean, warm water and started to rub his face, arms and body to clean himself. He was fully aware of Lemonfriend behind him, studying his anatomy, yet he didn't fell ashamed. More... Flirtatious. He turned his head round to look back on Lemonfriend, who now had a glimmer of temptation in his eyes. Lemongrab decided to let his worries go and turn fully around.

"Thanks for that. I'm not tense at all now." He said with a shimmer in his eye. "But looking at you, I sense something is playing on your mind." Lemongrab tried to lower his voice to make it grumble and tried to make it sound alluring. He steps closer and closer to Lemonfriend who had now become the recessive one. He placed his hand on his opposite elbow and looked down to the floor, then back up to meet Lemongrab's attractive gaze.

"Yeah, something has." He whispered. Lemongrab's curiosity flared.

"What's that?" He asked.

"You." Before Lemongrab could reply or even react, Lemonfriend pressed his lips in to Lemongrab's. At first Lemongrab had no idea what to do. His mind had gone completely blank. The feel of Lemonfriend's lips against his made him shiver. But the moment ended when Lemonfriend pulled away. They stared intimately in to each other's eyes for a brief second before crashing together for another, more passionate kiss. Lemongrab slowly slivered his strong, manly arms around Lemonfriend's waist, whilst Lemonfriend wrapped his hands around his neck. The kiss deepened as they massaged their lips together and let their tongues slowly lick at each other's lip. Lemonfriend placed his hands on Lemongrab's chest and pushed him against the wall. He forced his soaking wet body up against his. They both shuddered with desire as their eager young bodies melt in to one. Their excitement steadily grew, as every touch lit up their skin with a passionate flame and dripped with anticipation. Lemongrab hungered more for his taste, as their tongues tried to dominate each other. All of a sudden, Lemonfriend pulled away. He gazed breathlessly in to Lemongrab's lust filled eyes. He leaned nearer to his ear and whispered to him. "Do you want to know how you can lift all the stress of the world off your shoulders?" Lemongrab was still consumed in his web of desire, so simply nodded and kissed the side of his head. "Ok, here's a trick the girls taught me." He reached up for one final kiss before lowering himself down and steadying himself on his knees. Lemongrab placed his palms on the wall and let his head go limp against the wall. Lemonfriend let one of his hands travel back up Lemongrab's body to stroke his soaked muscles, while the other gently gripped on to his manhood. The touch of his hands made Lemongrab gasp with shook and moan with pleasure. He continues to caress Lemongrab's chest and teased his tender areas to give him the best experience possible. "Do you want more?" He teased more out of Lemongrab, sending overwhelming waves of sexual pleasure all around his body. He could barely answer.

"Y...yes...ple...please...more." Lemongrab felt like a total lust-driven hussy, but he couldn't help it. He never wanted the feelings to end. Lemonfriend tried to coax out a reaction, so he started to lick at his tip. Subtlety and cautiously, he drew circles with his lemon tongue around Lemongrab's tip, growing bigger and bigger until he completely engulfed his length. Lemongrab shakily took a deep breathe in and closed his eyes to concentrate on the pleasure, which intensified with every movement of Lemonfriend's head, mouth or tongue. As He caressed Lemonfriend's cheek, he could feel himself enter Lemonfriend's mouth and then slide back out. His body shivered and quaked with every affectionate sensation. He yearned for more. Then from no where, there was a knock at the door. Lemongrab's eyes widened at an alarming rate and he sat bolt up right... In his bed. It was all a weird dream of his temptation for Lemonfriend. Panting rapidly from his sensual dream, he tried to piece his thoughts together, with no results. The door knocked again, a little louder this time.  
"Come in." As soon as the words escaped his lips, he regretted it, for as he rubbed his forehead he realised his covers were being push up by his erection. The door opened and Lemongrab was quick to draw his knees to his chest and gather up some covers to hide his 'problem'. Peppermint butler plodded through the door carrying a plate of food for his breakfast.

"Good morning your earlness, I bring you your breakfast." The butler placed the small silver platter on the table and lifted off the cover. "Behold! We have a selection today of different fruits, spreads for toast and juice." He seemed overly excited about the bland breakfast he had prepared for everyone in the castle. However, Lemongrab loved bland food so was pleased with the food presented to him.

"Thank you Mr Peppermint." He was about to move out of the bed to grab a shirt and start eating, but quickly remembered about the problem hidden beneath his sheets.

"Can I get you anything else?" The awkwardness progressively got higher. He was probably waiting for the earl to get out of bed and try the meal he prepared.

"No, I think I'm all set." He needed to get the butler to leave. The question was... How? "I will have it in a minute, I had a restless night so I'm still quite tired,"

"I understand your earlness, I'm not far away so if you need anything, just come get me." The butler gently bowed his head and left the room. Lemongrab let out a deep sigh of relief and fell back down on the bed, relaxing his whole body. He was still immensely flustered by his bizarre dream. Fitting the pieces together seemed impossible for him. It was a jigsaw with no links. A toy model with no glue. Perhaps he should talk to Esme, she is the only person he is totally comfortable with but how the hell would you go about explaining what you dreamt about. He tried to force it to the back of his head and focused on reality. He got out of bed and grabbed his near by pyjama t-shirt, which he took off during the night. The night had been stuffy and sticky for him, as the temperatures of the day still lingered in his chamber. His sleepless night made him groggy and lethargic; nevertheless he dragged himself out of his cloud-like bed and wandered over to the small, wooden table. He studied the plate of food, which made his belly rumble, so he picked up an apple and took an almighty chunk out of the side. Sluggishly, he paced over to his wardrobe to decide on what to wear for the day. He planned out his day and tried to think of things to do to keep himself busy between training. As there was nothing special happening, he decided to just wear a plain black t-shirt and the jeans he wore yesterday. He grasped his towel from off his chair and took a short, hot shower. Being in the shower reminded him of the dream. He could remember it so vividly. The way Lemonfriend spoke to him. Touched him. It made him feel strange in his stomach, so tried to block the thoughts. After that, he was dressed, his stomach was full and he was ready for the day ahead.

It was around 10 o'clock when Lemongrab heard another knock on his door. He was tuning his guitar at the time. "Come in." He gently commanded. Esme popped her head round the door. She looked much more summery today, thanks to the weather remaining above boiling. She had dark blue Jean-shorts, a white strap top with embroidered, geometric patterns on it and her dark blue converse sneakers. She had her hair tied up in a loose pony tail with her fringe left free. This was so air could get to the back of her neck, instantly cooling her.

"Came to see if you're bored like me." She joked.

"I'm just keeping myself busy like I did back at the unit."

"I saw a nice coffee shop on the way hear yesterday, wanna go check it out? Drinks on me." Esme was enthusiastic and overflowing with energy. Lemongrab propped his guitar against the side of his dresser and rambled over to Esme.

"Why not, thanks. Actually I have a few things to get off my back." And with that, they both left the oven-like castle and strolled down the high street.

The door to the café shrieked when Esme opened it. Although the place was ancient, the staff was welcoming and the items they sold were known throughout the kingdom as being magnificent. Lemongrab almost felt relieved that the place was virtually empty apart from the seller behind the counter and a few candy people sat near to the window. Esme lead him to a table in the far corner of the café. "What drink did you want?" Asked Esme. Lemongrab peered down to look at a menu on the table, but his efforts were in vain. He didn't have his glasses, so had no idea what it said.

"Anything cold." He replied. Esme smiled and strolled over to the counter, which was dark and wooden. It also had cookies, cakes and sandwiches on it, covered by delicate glass domes, which all varied in shape and size. Lemongrab's curious eyes scanned his surroundings. All the walls in the square, box-like shop were a deep shade of blood red. All the chairs and tables were a dark shade of wood. Each table had been laid up with a menu board, a single, thin vase with a flower inside and a pot filled with sugar sashays. He glanced over to Esme who was now just waiting for their drinks to come. For some strange reason, his belly started to tighten from anxiety. It suddenly sprang back to his mind that he mentioned about needing to talk to her. He needed to piece together his thoughts about the dream, but no matter how hard he tried in his head, he had no idea how he could tell her. Constantly pondering to himself. Should I say anything? No, he was too confused about the dream and needed to understand it if it ever happens again. His concentration was averted to the candy people near the window. He could have sworn, he heard his name. He resisted turning his head around and just tried to concentrate on their voices.

"I heard he's back. Do you think that's him?" Said the older gentleman. His fellow citizen was quick to reply.

"It can't be. He looks nothing like him." Before Lemongrab could react, Esme softly placed two glasses with blended strawberries and ice on the table.

"Is this ok? I had no idea what else you liked."

"Yeah, this is perfect, thank you." Lemongrab grabbed his drink and began to tip small amounts of the freezing contents down his throat. Esme did the same. He broke off from drinking to begin talking to Esme. "We're you able to unpack everything yesterday? I know how you are with tidying up." Teased Lemongrab.

"Oh ha-ha, yeah I got it all done." Esme took once more swig of her drink before setting it back down on the table. "Anyway, you said you had something to get off your back. What's up?" Lemongrab stared down in to his drink and swirled the liquid around. He was creation a whirl pool in his glass. He tried to relax his expression but he couldn't help his nerves and awkwardness shine through.

"Yeaahhh, it's nothing. I've been thinking about it and it's not a problem." Lemongrab continued to neglect eye contact with Esme. She did not believe him for one moment.

"Oh no you don't mister. I can tell when something is playing on your mind and right now you look more confused than a chameleon in a bag of skittles." Lemongrab faintly chuckled at his friends' remark. "Now come on and speak up. You can tell me anything, I won't judge you for it." Esme was gentle and kind to him, like a mother to her son. Lemongrab placed his glass down and sighed. He scratched the back of his head and tried to summon the words to say.

"It's so hard to explain though. I don't even know what it means."

"What's hard to explain? Wha what... You've lost me already." Esme crumpled up her face as she tried to understand what he was inferring.

"I... I had a weird dream." Esme relaxed her face and slumped back in to her chair. She gave a strong exhale and gave him her full attention.

"A dream that has confused you?"

"More than that, it's made me question myself." Lemongrab leaned forward, crossed his arms and placed them on the table.

"So, this mind-boggling dream then... What happened in it?" Lemongrab's face flashed red just by recalling the event from the dream.

"I'd rather not say at this point." Esme sighed and crossed her arms.

"How can I explain a dream to you if you don't tell me what it's about? At least tell me the small parts of it. Like where were you? Were you alone?" Lemongrab took a deep breathe in a murmured quietly to her.

"I was in my room and... I wasn't alone."

"Who were you with then?" Esme was started to get frustrated at his short, non-descriptive answers. Lemongrab looked in to her eyes and then peered down to the floor. Under his own breathe he mumbled again.

"Lemonfriend." His whisper incoherent.

"Who?" Esme leaned closer to him as to hear his reply.

"Lemonfriend." He was just loud enough for her to hear, but his answer was still kept secret from the other people in the café.

"Finally, we're getting somewhere. So you and Lemonfriend were in your room and..." Esme stopped in her tracks. She stared down at Lemongrab who was still not making eye contact with her. Instead he gazed at his hands. Without warning, Esme realised what he was getting at. His expression made it obvious that he was mortified by what had happened in the dream, but he was keeping it to himself. "Oooohhhh, I think I know where you're going with this." Lemongrab peered up at Esme for the first time in a while.

"You do?" His cheeks had become as red as his drink was.

"I think so." Continued Esme, as she tried to word her question. "Did something... Adult happen by any chance?" Esme raised her eyebrow with suspicion, while she waited for Lemongrab to answer.

"I think I know what you mean by adult so ... Yeah." He peered down once again to hide the shame he felt.

"There's no need to be embarrassed Lemongrab. Don't be so childish." She joked. Her words reminded him of Lemonfriend in the dream. He fixed his posture ready to speak properly with her. "You know what this means don't you." He rolled his eyes sarcastically and shook his head. "Now that you are here, your feelings for Lemonfriend have skyrocketed thanks to the 'reunion'. As your not with him in reality, you want to make a dream world were you are. Either that or, less psychologically, you are basically yearning for him." Lemongrab couldn't reply straight away. He was still discombobulated by the information thrown at him.

"Soooo... Will it happen again?"

"Probably, it's natural though so..." Esme halted once more by the fact that Lemongrab dropped his head down and rubbed his forehead, as if he was extremely fed up. "What's wrong now?"

"It happened last night and then Mr. Peppermint walked in this morning. It was so awkward. Now I found out it will happen again, it just... Ugh. It's annoying." Esme couldn't help but smile slightly from the laughter bubbling up inside of her. She curled her lips inwards and bit her tongue. Lemongrab noticed this and instantly got agitated. "It's not funny Esme." He said through gritted teeth.

"I know, it's just the thought of the butler face if he..." Her giggling was soon cut short by Lemongrab's angered expression. She cleared her throat to ease the giggles. "Look, there's one way you could stop this." Lemongrab's ears perked up at the mention of stopping his embarrassing situations happening again. "Ask him on a date." Lemongrab's jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, if he says yes you get your dream world to be reality. If he says no, then you know it won't happen and your brain will stop making dreams. Eventually."

"Looks like I'll be having more embarrassing mornings then." He sighed once more and finished his drink.

"Don't be like that, just start speaking more and then ask him out. Simple." Esme shrugged her shoulders and continued to sip on her drink.

"No it's not simple. One-I have only just got here, two-he is a clone of me, so I would be dating MYSELF and three-why on earth would he want to go out with someone who abused him?" Esme was quick to give her sassy reply.

"One-you have known him and lived with him for over a year, two-You told me PB created him from scratch so he is a different person and now you look and sound different, finally you have changed and he knows you have." Esme relaxed in to her chair and waited for more of Lemongrab's excuses.

"But... "Lemongrab raised his hand to point at Esme, who was holding a confident smirk. He soon let his body go limp and rested in to the chair again. "Even if all that was true, he would never like me in that way, besides he could have a girlfriend for all I know." Esme thought about what he just said. The phrase about Lemonfriend never liking him in that way. She recalled the previous evening when she caught him staring out the window. Maybe, Lemonfriend might also 'like' him. She pondered whether to tell Lemongrab about the scenario that occurred yesterday, but remembered the promise she made. So she tried to conceal it in her next question.

"What if Lemonfriend did like you, or even found you...attractive?" Lemongrab scrunched up his face in confusion. He was puzzled by his friends query.

"Well, I don't know, it might make it easier I guess, knowing that he liked me back. Although it's never like that, only in the movies. Why do you ask?" He stared at Esme to coax an answer from her.

"You said about him not liking you in that way, so I just created the situation that he was, to...you know, find out your response." Esme innocently sipped the last of her drink. Lemongrab raised his eyebrows and turned his face slightly. He was going to let it slide until he noticed how uncomfortable Esme looked, as she scratched the back of her neck. Like she had something to hide.

"You're hiding something from me." Lemongrab stated.

"What? No I'm not."

"I know that face, you're concealing something." Esme started to feel hot in the face; despite this she remained calm and collected.

"I don't know what you're on about."

"Esme, don't lie." Lemongrab lightly bashed the table and leaned closer to Esme, as if he was interrogating her.

"But I promised them I would..." Esme was cut short by an alarmed Lemongrab.

"Who did you promise? What's been going on behind my back?" Lemongrab stopped chucking questions at Esme when a thought sprung to him mind. "Did Lemonfriend say someone to you?" Lemongrab's belly twisted again. Was it hope or was it nerves? He couldn't tell at this point.

"He didn't say anything to me." Lemongrab was almost off his chair. He was mostly leaning on the sturdy table for support.

"Then what happened?" Esme sighed and shook her head, implying that she couldn't tell. "Please Esme I won't say anything. This might change the whole situation."

"Alright, just relax." Lemongrab settled back in to his chair, but was still lent forward eagerly awaiting the reply. "Yesterday, when I went back to get the air shield, I met him. He was day dreaming out the window. I snuck up on him to try and catch him out, which I did. Turns out he was watching you. When I asked him if he was 'admiring' you, he went all defensive and red and told me not to say anything to you in case you took it the wrong way." As Esme finished her story Lemongrab was stunned. Every emotion was running though his body. Denial, hope, love, everything. Could it be possible that Lemonfriend liked him back? He slumped back in his chair and gathered his thoughts. "So, does this mean you'll ask him out?" Teased Esme. This caused Lemongrab to stumble back to reality and lightly chuckle at his friend again, whilst shaking his head.

"It changes a lot thought. I mean... There's a chance now I guess." Scratching his chin, he thought about the idea of asking him on a date, but quickly pushed it back. "No, I can't."

"You can't or you don't know how? If you've never been in love, I'm guessing you are a noob at the whole relationship business. Am I right or am I right?" In reply, Lemongrab just sighed and looked at Esme. "Don't worry, I'll give you crash course. First lesson, courting or flirting as most would say."

"Flirting?" Lemongrab felt pessimistic about the idea.

"Yeah, it's just about making them more attracted to your... lure. Discreetly showing that you like them basically." Lemongrab still didn't fully understand her. "Oh boy, this is going to take some time, but don't worry we will get through the stages." Esme smiled and winked at Lemongrab.

"Stages? How many are there?" He asked.

"More on that later, that's for when you're actually in the relationship. Here's what you need to do." With that, Esme continued to teach Lemongrab the art of courtship and how to build the relationship to the dating stage. They left the café an hour later and returned to the castle, so they could get ready for training.

By the time they got back to the castle, it was almost 1 o'clock. After a spot of lunch, they decided to get ready for training. Walking down the candy corridor, Lemongrab was trying to do up his forearm protector and carrying a bag on his back, whilst Esme had the shield. "We will take it easy today. It's not long since we've eaten and its very hot today."

"Wow, did you really just say that we will 'take it easy'." Joked Lemongrab, who was still concentrating hard on doing up the buckle on his arm protector.

"I know, I've never said anything like that before." Esme's sarcastic tone made Lemongrab lightly chuckle. "Maybe there is somewhere indoor we could do it, or out of the sunlight. Do you know anywhere?" Lemongrab shook his head.

"Can't say I do." Continuing to stroll down the wide, elongated Isle, Esme pondered what to do. At this point she saw Lemonfriend turn the corner up ahead and he was travelling towards them. She whipped her head up to peer at Lemongrab, to see if he had become red, but he was too busy trying to fix up his armour to notice his crush steadily walking towards him. Esme had a brain wave. If she could start a conversation between all three of them, it might give those two the confidence they need.

"Hey Lemonfriend, can I ask you something?" The mere mention of his name caused Lemongrab to immediately lose focus with his armour and glance up towards Lemonfriend.

"Sure, how can I help?" Replied Lemonfriend. Just by hearing his voice and witnessing his presents was enough for Lemongrab to feel flushed. The memory of the dream was stronger than ever now, and even new situations started to invade his imagination. Luckily, he was able to stop thinking about it before anything embarrassing happened.

"We were about to train and wondered whether there is anywhere we can go which won't be in the sun. You know, indoors or in the shade. Where would be the best place?"

"Hmmm, there is a nice forest area near the back of the castle, it's away from people so there won't be interruptions and its well covered." Lemonfriend gestured with his thumb over his shoulder to show the direction of the forest. He then gave a quick glance over to Lemongrab. He seemed to be day dreaming. "Are you ok?" Lemongrab didn't answer. He didn't even acknowledge the question until Esme elbowed him in his ribs.

"Oh, yeah I fine. And you."

"I'm good thanks." Esme decided to speak up at this point as the awkwardness was too mush to handle.

"So, Lemonfriend. I'm guessing you're going to the banquet thing on Thursday."

"Yeah I kinda have to." Lemonfriend rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Are you two going then?

"Yep, princess bubblegum asked us, said it would be good to meet everyone."

"That's cool; I will see you there then." Lemonfriend began to walk past Lemongrab to continue his stroll down the corridor, but was block when Lemongrab lifted his hand slightly to wave goodbye. His armour was not tied on and fell to the floor with a clang.

"Oh, sorry." As Lemongrab clumsily bent down to pick it up, Lemonfriend automatically tried to grab the piece of metal out of sheer kindness. Their hands touched the armour precisely at the same time, causing them both to look up in to each other's eyes. The contact was shared for a split second before Lemonfriend realised he still had the piece of equipment so snapped his hands back, to allow Lemongrab to pick up his property. They stood up one after the other and peered at each other once more. Lemongrab felt lost in his deep brown eyes. He had forgotten how mesmerising they were.

"Hope your training goes well, I should be getting off now." Bashfully, Lemonfriend bided them goodbye as they both strolled past each other. Esme waited until Lemonfriend was gone to start the harassment.

"Oh my glob." Giggled Esme.

"What?" Lemongrab fixed up his armour and glanced back at Esme.

"You two are so... Blind." She peered up to Lemongrab who was disconcerted by her unexpected comment. "I mean your performance was painful..." Lemongrab opened his mouth as to speak up, but Esme quickly raised her finger to shut him up. "Let me finish, your performance was painful. You didn't even try to conceal the fact that he makes you nervous, but he seemed...shy as well." Lemongrab finally was able to butt in.

"Do you not remember what I did to him? Of course he's going to be skittish around me."

"No it wasn't that kind of shy. More like he wanted to talk to you, but had no idea how. And then the eye contact..." Esme shook her head and acutely sighed in disbelief.

"What about it?" Lemongrab's voice shivered with nerves.

"No normal eye contact is held for that long. That was the kind you see in the movies, so I'm wondering if this is actually turning out to be a crazy sitcom, where the crush likes you back." Esme smirked and gave Lemongrab a friendly nudge.

"You're playing around with me." Lemongrab was in a state of denial at his friends' accusation.

"We will see if I'm right late, but for now don't get your hopes. We will tease more out and see how the conclusion is pulled together." With that they exited through a main garden door and strolled over to the forest.

After training Esme walked back to Lemongrab's room with him and pretended to go to her room. But instead, when Lemongrab shut his door, Esme began to run through the corridors searching for Lemonfriend. Her plan was to talk more with him and see if she could find out more about him and Lemongrab's history. Lemongrab never really talked about the past with her, so she needs to get to grip with the events that shaped their relationship. While wondering through the corridors, she ran in to PB who was travelling to her laboratory. "Hello Esme." Greeted the polite princess. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes princess, but I'm looking for Lemonfriend. Have you seen him?" Esme panted lightly from the running she had just done.

"I think I last saw him in the stables with his lemon Pegasus. Why?" Queried the princess.

"I just need to talk to him. I didn't get to know him much, so in my free hours I thought I should." Esme smiled and waved goodbye to the princess.

A few moments later, she at last found him. PB was true to her word. He was in the stable feeding and grooming him beautiful steed. Esme cleared her throat to grab his attention away from the winged horse. Lemonfriend turned his head in her direction and smiled gently when he saw her. "Hey Esme. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Mind if I talk with you?" Esme paced over to Lemonfriend, who placed the bucket of food he was holding on the floor for his Pegasus to munch on.

"What did you want to talk about?" Esme sighed silently and directed Lemonfriend over toward two hay bails in the corner of the stable to sit on. They both relaxed on to the uncomfortable seats. Each piece of hay that stuck out towards them irritated their skin and poked their supple limbs.

"I know that what I'm about to ask might... Distress you in some way. So don't feel like you have to answer." Lemonfriend grew increasingly concerned about the next words that would be coming from her mouth. "It's about your past with Lemongrab. I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to acknowledge the past from your perspective." Lemonfriend peered down to the dusty, wooden floor, as he tried to gather up his thoughts.

"I would have thought Lemongrab would have told you most of it."

"Yeah, I know partially but I don't know how you felt. Sometimes when you are trying to help one person, you need to get to grips with other people associated with them." Esme stayed relaxed and gentle. She didn't want to push him too far encase it upset him.

"Oh ok, what did you want to know?" Asked Lemonfriend.

"Well, first tell me a bit about how you met." Esme crossed one leg over the other and placed her cupped hands on her lap.

"I can clearly remember waking up and there was food all around me. The Princess was to my right. I stared up at her, startled at first but I soon trusted her as she looked innocent and friendly. She told me to take it easy to start with and then try and find her in one of the rooms. She gave me a reassuring smile and ran off."

"That must have been frightening, brought in to a new world and then left alone in a strange room." As Esme spoke, her words reminded her of Lemongrab's story he told her once. His was a similar situation, but slightly different. Maybe this caused the differences between the clones.

"I was scared, but then I walked around and tried to find her. That's when I stumbled in to the reconditioning chamber where Lemongrab and the others were. Frankly, I was unnerved by him to start with. He had electrocuted people in a chamber, he was pointing his sound sword at the princess and I was expected to waltz in and calm him down. Strangely we accepted each other upon meeting, so it was fine to start with." Lemonfriend stopped. A faint smile craved its way across his face, as he recollected the good times he would have with him.

"But then it all turned...sour. Pardon the pun." They both chuckled at the awful pun made by the fruity girl.

"I guess you could say that. He started to be tense and stressed more often, which meant he would have angry outbursts almost everyday. Our citizens became frighten of him and...So did I" Lemonfriend rested his hand in his hand. He traced the scars on his face and recalled the events that caused them. "I don't like to dwell on the past but I will never forget what he did that day." Lemonfriend continued to rub his forehead and glanced down to the floor. Just by visualising what happened made his head and legs feel strange. Like they weren't there again. "I think after that everything went down hill. I'm just so glad you were able to fix him and even improve him."

"Well, to begin with I thought he was a lost cause. He seemed too far gone, but I suppose he wasn't out of reach. Yes it took a while, but once he tried, the change was... Extraordinary" Esme relaxed her legs, only to then switch which leg was on top. She tried to sit comfortably on the needle like sofa and continued to weasel more from Lemonfriend. "So, before the 'event' would you say you liked him?"

"Yeah, I liked him." Lemonfriend sounded dazed, like he was partially dreaming. Esme glanced at his expression to see he was subtly smiling to himself. His eyes were bright and focused on one spot on the wall. Esme wondered what he meant. Did he mean as friends, or more?

"You said that in an odd way. Was there anything going on between you?" Lemonfriend was yanked away from his dreamy state as he snapped his quick reply.

"No, of course not." He began to furiously blush, but tried to conceal it by once again, staring at the stable floor. Esme raised her eyebrow.

"Ok then, were there unrequited or boxed emotions?" Esme teased.

"There...might have been a small crush. But that was before he turned in to a big-headed tyrant." Lemonfriend turned his body slightly in order to look away from Esme.

"Well, what is he now? Still a tyrant?" Questioned Esme.

"No, but..." Lemonfriend was cut short by Esme.

"So, could it be possible that these...emotions have return." Esme teased more at him. She glanced down at her hand and played with her nails.

"The only thing that has returned is him." Once again, Lemonfriend was speedy with his reply, but Esme was hot on his tail.

"Are you sure? Why else would you look at him from a window and shared deep eye contact when confront by him." Lemonfriend was at a dead end. He went all bashful and reclusive. "So are you going to admit that these feelings have returned or are you going to continue to lie to yourself?" Lemonfriend parted his lips and turned back to her. But when he couldn't formulate an answer, he just sighed and closed his eyes.

"Maybe, maybe not. The crush when I first met him could have just been because he was the only person I lived with until our citizens were made." No matter how many times he dismissed the idea, it would always pop back and string right in his face. Had his love for Lemongrab returned? He was unsure. "Sorry I must get back to lemon Pegasus; he has finished his meal and will start to eat the bucket if I don't stop him." Esme chuckled as they both stood up. Their skin felt red and irritated from the hay

"Ok I will leave you to it." As Esme strolled over to the door as to walk away, but quickly spun round and lent on the frame. "Lemonfriend." He glanced back to her again. They looked exactly how they did at the start of the conversation. "Think about what I said and stop lying to yourself." As she began to journey back to her room, Lemonfriend rolled his eyes and continued to pet his steed, which returned the affection.

Later in the day, Esme and Lemongrab found themselves to be bored out of their skulls and full of energy so went exploring in the cotton candy forest. Esme was teaching Lemongrab how to 'tree run', which is basically free running but instead of buildings, you run from tree to tree. They swung through the gaps in the dense forest, like monkeys in the Amazon. Esme had a little bit more grace speed, as she had done it many times before, but Lemongrab kept up with her until they decided to call it a night. They leaped through with ease. Cotton candy leaves caressed they body and the branches seemed to lead them to the outskirts of the forest. Once they finally escaped the maze of plants and candy, they found themselves facing the castle again. There was a soft bed of grass that they decided to plant themselves on, until they got their breathe back. Their focus was captured by the stunning sunset, which set over the kingdom. "Beautiful sunset." Esme pointed out.

"Amazing." Lemongrab rested his back up against a tree and took a long gulp of water.

"How you feeling about Thursday? Asked Esme. Lemongrab continued to drink and just shrugged his shoulders. "I think it will be nice. You will get to meet new people, PB will be over the moon with you and...It will be fun." Esme remained optimistic about the evening.

"All those people though. That's making me nervous." Admitted Lemongrab. He looked at Esme with his puppy eyes, like he was begging for sympathy.

"Don't seek sympathy from me 'cause you won't get any. Besides, those nerves will be vanquished by little helpers." Lemongrab confusingly glanced at Esme. "Their called vodka and whiskey." Joked Esme. Lemongrab rolled his eyes and sarcastically voiced a tut at his friend.

"You're not seriously suggesting I get drunk before the evening starts, because I don't think that will leave a good impression about me." Lemongrab chuckled subtly.

"Don't get plastered but just a small drink to ease the nerves. But go easy, I know how much of a light weight you are." Teased Esme.

"Am not!" Lemongrab gave Esme a friendly shove as they both giggled.

"Oh please, remember when you had half a bottle of wine. You we're singing like a sailor." Esme giggled at her own stupid joke awaiting Lemongrab's response, but it never came. She glanced over to Lemongrab. He was staring off in to the distance, towards the candy Kingdom. He was in a dream-like state. Captivated by something in the horizon. She looked in the direction of his sight and was not surprised to see Lemonfriend at the end of it, taking his lemon Pegasus for a walk after flying. She gave a weary sigh. "Hey, Earth to Lemongrab!" No reply. To snatch his attention back she clicked her fingers in front of him. After just two rapid clicks, he spun his head round to give her his full attention.

"Oh yeah." Lemongrab tried to cover the fact that he blanked her by returning with an unlinked reply. Esme sighed at her love-struck companion.

"Stop becoming a love-struck teenager when ever you see him, it makes it so obvious that you like him." Lemongrab blushed and present her with a slight frown. "Right, on Thursday at the evening thing, you are going to find him and talk to him. One to one. Get to know him and suck up to him."

"I don't think I'm..." Lemongrab was silenced by Esme's blasé expression, so he exhaled strongly. "Ok, I will try." Esme smiled at his obedience and hopped up on to her aching feet.

"Come on, let's head back for dinner." She held out her hand in front of him to help him bounce up. Once he had regained his balance, they wandered across the sun kissed grass. Every step lifted a scent of sugar in to the air. Sweetness was surrounding them, as another day drawn to an abrupt close on the candy Kingdom. 


	7. Chapter 6-Evening of nerves

The week had gone extremely fast for Lemongrab as it was already Thursday. The day Lemongrab had been silently dreading. The special evening PB was hosting had finally come around and in a matter of hours he would be in a room filled with people who hate him or don't know him. Whilst getting ready for training in his room, he contemplated acting like he was ill so he didn't have to go. But then he realised he would feel guilty, as not only had PB personal invited him, but she also brought his suit and seemed overjoyed when he said yes to her invitation. He had been fully roped in to it. No escaping it. When he finished tying up his laces, there was a gentle knock at the door. Because Lemongrab was leaving soon anyway to meet Esme, he decided to open the door himself, to reveal the person behind it. This time it was PB.  
"Hello Lemongrab, I thought I missed you. I just came to give you the details for tonight." As PB was speaking she handed him a small piece of pink, thin paper. Lemongrab scanned the paper discovering Details about tonight, such as time, place and food.

"Oh thank you. I was wondering about what time we should be there."

"You can stroll in anytime between 7pm and 11pm. As long as you turn up." PB smiled proudly and crossed her arms behind her back. "May I ask how you are feeling?"

"Well, a bit nervous if I'm honest, but I'll be fine." Lemongrab didn't mention that he was actually pessimistic about it. He had no intention on disappointing the princess today or any other day for the rest of his life. "I hope we can speak later, but right now I need to meet Esme. She does not like it if people are late." Lemongrab chuckled and closed his door behind him.

"She seems very organised for a young lady. Well I'll see you two tonight." And with that they waved goodbye and parted from each other. Lemongrab was waltzing contently down a corridor when he felt his leather scabbard become lose. He had not buckled up the belt properly and now it was close to falling off. Luckily he noticed it before it had a chance to fall, so he fixed the buckle and continued to walk calmly through the castles corridors. His attention was soon captivated but the recognisable sound of boots stomping on the hard, stone ground. With closer inspection, he realised the steps got louder and louder, signalling they were walking towards him. He glanced up for a split second to see Lemonfriend day dreaming and staring at the Scarlett coloured rug on the pink, stone floor, whilst pacing steadily towards him. Panic overwhelmed his whole body as he still tried to focus on his scabbard buckle, acting like he hadn't noticed him. But it was too late. His eyes were drawn to Lemonfriend who returned the gentle, subtle glare. Lemongrab had no choice but to talk to him, to cut the tense between them. He tried to stay cool and calm, as he recalled the 'lessons' given by Esme on courtship or flirting.

"Hey, you alright?" Lemongrab gave Lemonfriend his full attention as they slightly closed the gap between them.

"I'm fine thanks, what about you?"

"Yeah, I'm great." Esme was not there to help dig Lemongrab out of humiliation if he messes up, so he tried to remain cool in front of his first love. "Are you going to that banquet thing tonight?"

"I am. I told you before, when we met last time." The temperature Lemongrab felt on his face rose higher and higher. He felt so stupid and awkward, but he hid these feelings behind a friendly smile and tried to hold himself together.

"Oh yeah, sorry I'm an idiot. I guess I will see you there then. I have to meet Esme."

"I need to help prepare the hall." As they past each other, Lemongrab smiled his goodbye to Lemonfriend, but once he was behind him, he let out a sigh of relief and frustration and began his walk to Esme again. Unbeknownst to him, Lemonfriend also sighed silently to himself, signalling his delayed composure. Both lemons travelled their separate ways, unable to tell the other about their unquestionably desire for one another.

Lemongrab exited through the door to the main training grounds and spotted Esme setting up for the session. He promptly stepped over to her to help her but also to discover what he would be partaking in. "Need a hand with anything?" He casually asked.

"There you are. I was beginning to wonder where you were."

"I'm only five minutes late." Said Lemongrab, as he tried to defend his belated arrival. "Anyway, what are we doing today?"

"I thought we could practise no weapons today and a bit more on self defence. I got a new trick that I'm dying to teach you." Esme was chirpy and enthusiastic. Just like always. She placed down one air shield on top of another to create a small tower. There were three all together and they just about reached her hip height. "Before I show you what we are doing with this, we need to warm up; don't want to pull a muscle before this evening do we?" By mentioning the events unfolding soon, Esme sparked up the anxiety Lemongrab could feel earlier. Only this was worse for some reason. "Are you ok? You look a little down."

"It's tonight. I don't know if I can do it." Lemongrab peered down to the floor with sorrow in his eyes.

"Sure you can, just be yourself."

"That has never gone down well in the past." Lemongrab joked, but there was a shred of truth as well.

"That was the past. Stop being pessimistic about the evening. If you want you can just tag along with me for the whole night. I don't know anyone, so when we greet them, I can stop you making a fool of yourself." Both of them began to chuckle, causing Lemongrab's spirit to lift.

"I wish you were with me a moment ago." Lemongrab stated, whilst they preformed their stretches.

"How so?"

"I met Lemonfriend in the corridor again. We were walking opposite ways, so as he past I tried to make light conversation like you said, but ended up looking like an idiot who never listens." Esme gave him a puzzled and judgemental look. "I asked him if he was going to the gathering."

"But I asked that a few days ago, when we saw him last." She said sarcastically.

"I know that's why I'm an idiot and the fact I asked it in the first place makes me look like I never listen. You could have sliced the awkwardness with a sword." Esme began to laugh inaudibly at her love struck lemonhead. "I knew you'd laugh."

"I'm not laughing." She spoke while also trying to hold back bubbles of giggles. "Well, that's not too bad; at least you didn't fall over." Esme tried to make light of the situation that Lemongrab experienced. "Right, we need to crack on, we've only got an hour before we need to head back and get ready.

Once again, the two of them were training hard to work their bodies to the limit of human capacity. Until sweat languidly started to drip down their foreheads. Esme wasted no time teaching Lemongrab her new cunning techniques to shock an arrogant attack. Like how to get out of a choke hold in one simple move. How to block and respond. This was followed by a new swinging side kick and power-driven punches to initiate the most destruction to a body. Not enough to kill, but certainly enough to make them crumble to the floor in agony.

Soon it was time to head back to their rooms to prepare themselves for the evening. Although Lemongrab thought it was way too early, Esme needed the time to make herself 'presentable'. As a result, Lemongrab showered and stayed in his pyjamas for a while until he needed to get dressed and ready. He decided he would practise more on his guitar before it was time to steadily wander over to Esme's room.

It chimed 7 o'clock on Lemongrab's bedside clock. The countdown had gone from a few hours to a matter of moments and Lemongrab was dreading it. A hall full of people. Most won't know him, but the ones who do will defiantly turn their noses up at him, despite his change.  
Thanks to the lessons Esme gave him, he was now able to tie up his tie, but found himself to he struggling as his hands were shaking vigorously. Whilst adjusting himself in the mirror and doing his final body checks, he could sense his fear rise up from his belly. Almost making him feel physically sick. Glancing over to the clock near by, he realised he had to meet Esme, who was waiting in her room.

Strolling down the hall and round the corner, Lemongrab tried to calm his nerves and distract himself by judging the few painting on the walls. All were bright and captivating; nevertheless they were unique and had a different message behind them. He final reached Esme's door and knocked gently. He heard Esme shout "come in" from behind the door, so leisurely opened her door and waltzed in to her room. Esme was in the bathroom making her final adjustment, so suggested that Lemongrab should take a seat on her bed. The first thing he noticed while sat down, was how organised and tidy her room was. Esme was not one to be this ordered in her room. Maybe because it was still like a guest room to her. He was also overpowered by strong, sweet smells of scented sprays and perfume, nearly making him give out an almighty sneeze. Her room was similar to his, only her walls were a pale, pink colour. Almost like a peach colour. He sarcastically thought to himself that the rooms must have been painted for them in particular.

His inspection of the room was interrupted by Esme who was now ready and rushing around. She walked out of the bathroom hastily and began to talk to herself, making sure she had done everything. Lemongrab peered over his shoulder to see what she looked like. Just by a momentary glance he had become gobsmacked. She had her hair up in a high, curly bride bun but also had loose ringlets either side, all secured with a silver oblong shaped clip at the top. It had tiny diamonds around the edge and three slightly bigger ones in the middle. They all shined and shimmered in the artificial light, just like the silver gems on her dress, which travelled around the top of her waist. The lilac dress gathered above the gems and hung over one shoulder, which had very loose material at the top just to cover the shoulder. The bottom flowed with ease in the breeze and with every step she took. He couldn't quite see her shoes, as they were covered. All he could see was that they were silver and had gems as well. This look was all completed with her expertly done make up, the necklace she always wore, small, dangly, diamond eye rings, her mother's bracelet and father's ring. Lemongrab was astonished at her natural beauty and gradually stood up to fully turn towards her. She didn't notice he was still staring at her, until she faced him and gestured towards the door. "Is something wrong?" She looked down at herself to see if there was anything there, but discovered nothing.

"No, you look..." He tried to find the words to say. Beautiful? No. That's not enough. She looked like a rare, stunning flower, which had fully blossomed and shown its true colours.

"Do I look ok?" She asked like she doubted her appearance.

"Ok?! Much more than ok. Breathtakingly beautiful."

"Really? Thanks LG. Not looking to shabby yourself." She teased.

"Thanks." He chuckled.

"Well." Esme walked over to the door, opened it and then went to Lemongrab's side. "Now that I'm, how you would say, acceptable..." She peered up to him with her eyebrows high and a smug smile on her face. All Lemongrab could reply with was a strong eye roll. "Shall we be going to the ball?" She continued to joke.

"I think we shall." With that Lemongrab and Esme, now looking unquestionably sophisticated, began to stride down the bending corridors to the main hall. Now that Esme was with him, he didn't feel as nervous, but it still lingered in his belly. There was no turning back now, it was make or break time as they hastily approached the main hall.

Before arriving at the main hall, Esme decided to make sure Lemongrab was content and calm about being around all those people. "How are you feeling?" She inquired.

"To be truthful... Petrified." He could not push away the though of everyone's judgemental gaze being fixed on him. Like he was a freak show.

"Don't be, I'm here and PB will cover you if anything happens. Which it won't." She said confidently. "Besides, you can always just lie-low."

"I'm going to." He answered in haste. The conversation halted and the surroundings were muted. All you could hear were the clunking of their shoes on purple stone. Lemongrab couldn't handle the silence at the moment, it allowed his mind to become frantic and create ridiculous scenarios about the evening. So he tried to break the silence by talking more. "Hey, I've never seen that necklace before. Where'd you get it?" Esme glanced down to her necklace and held the gem, which was a soft shade of purple, in her delicate hand.

"This. I've always wear it. Everyday. It's just under my shirt usually."

"Where is it from?" Lemongrab asked.

"I'm not sure; my mother gave it to me on my 9th birthday." Lemongrab felt guilty for making her bring up her parents, as he knew she never liked to talk about her past. Like he doesn't like to.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. "If I upset you."

"Don't be so stupid. That's in the past; it can't be changed, just remembered. I remember them by this necklace." The chat was halted once more by the sound of many voices chattering and laughing. Lemongrab took a deep breathe and held out his arm for Esme to hold, as he escorted her to the entrance of the hall. It was brightly lit by medium sized wall lights, with 3 large crystal chandeliers in a row along the hall ceiling. There was a row of extended tabled covered by a pure white cover by the right side of the hall, filled to the brim with food, drinks and decoration. Near the back of the hall there were many circular, tables with white sheets and chairs for people to sit comfortably on. Everyone had their back to Lemongrab and Esme as they entered. Luckily. Esme gave his arm a friendly pat as they walked further in to the dazzling hall. While he was still appreciating the wonderful arrangements, Esme noticed PB swiftly wander up to them.

"Hey you two, glad you came. You both you great." Lemongrab turned to PB. She too was gorgeous and dolled up. Obviously her dress was a deep shade of pink and had no straps. She wore a chunky silver bracelet and necklace and had her hair up in a smart pony tail. "Would you like a drink?" She asked.

"Yes please." Joked Lemongrab. The girls chuckled at his snappy reply, as PB guided them over to the table with all the drinks. Once they had their chosen drink in hand, they wondered over to the edge of the hall out of the way for a minute or two.

"So" started Esme. "How many people do you know in this room?" Lemongrab took a swig of his drink and peered around the room. He only recognised four guests out of a possible eighty but he still didn't know them very well either.

"Well the boy with the White hat is Finn and his friend, the dog, is called Jake. They go on adventures and help to protect the kingdom by doing so." He continued to point out members of Ooo. "Over there is Marceline, the vampire queen. She doesn't drink blood as far as I know, just the colour red. And... Then you have lumpy space princess with her friends." He could recall how much of a bother she used to be. With her sassy replies and weird modern language.

"How do you know her?"

"We did a quest together; don't really talk much anymore though. I don't talk with any of them much."

Unbeknownst to Lemongrab, he had a secret admirer stealthily checking out his figure. It was lumpy space princess. "Oh my glob girl. Who is that?" She pointed out Lemongrab to her friend next to her.

"That's Lemongrab I think, as the other lemon we saw in the hall was wearing white."

"Lemongrab?!" LSP was stunned. "When did he get so hot? Last I heard he was a fat dictator. "

"Yeah, but he changed." Before her friend could talk to her, LSP was speeding through the crowds, across the hall to get to Lemongrab's side. Esme had gone for a moment to grab some nibbles for them, while he waited in the corner. LSP seized this opportunity to try and woo him like she always does. His back was towards her, so she crept up behind him and cleared her throat to make her presents known. Lemongrab froze. He was as still as a statue. It took him all of his courage to turn and face the guest wanting to speck with him. When he faced her, he realised who it was and relaxed dramatically, only to then feel slightly agitated by her.

"Hey, you're Lemongrab right? The other lemon person." LSP crossed her arms and relaxed her posture. Her eyes sparkled as she tried to make herself look flirtatious. This only made Lemongrab feel greatly uncomfortable.

"Yeah I am." LSP began to lean up against the wall and tried to remain cool.

"When did you get so smokin'?" Her flirty question made Lemongrab blush furiously.

"Excuse me?" He asked in a confused tone. Just at this point, Esme returned to him with a small bowl of nibbles.

"Hello, am I interrupting anything?" Esme inquired. LSP was hasty with the rude reply.

"Yeah, actually you are." She said bluntly.

"No it's ok the princess was going anyway." Lemongrab gave LSP a signal with his eyes for her to move on. She frowned harshly at Lemongrab before storming off in an annoyed state. "Sorry about her. She can be very... I don't even know the right word."

"It's ok, she seems like a handful and they are usually hard to describe. Here." Esme passed the bowl to Lemongrab who took out a few candy sticks and crispy bits from the glass bowl. While chomping on the snacks he observed the hall for other people he recognised. Almost shining from the sea of candy bodies, he spotted Lemonfriend. It was like he had beams of light streaming off him, making him noticeable. Lemongrab took the time to admire his pure white suit. It was very similar to Lemongrab's, but it was white with a baby blue shirt and white bow tie. Lemonfriend was nattering with a few people in a circle of bodies. Lemongrab felt hypnotised by him. He could easily watch how he made a cute face when he laughed and how his sweet smile spread across his face all night long. Esme looked towards Lemongrab while he was in his trace-like state and sighed heavily. She gently nudged his ribs to break the trace. "If you are going to be like that for the whole evening, at least make it less obvious." She teased.

Lemongrab sighed and turned towards Esme. "I want to talk to him but I can't. Definitely not while there are all those people." Disheartened and troubled, Lemongrab excused himself as he shuffled his way through the crowd to the nearest balcony for air and to gather his thoughts, leaving Esme to socialise with others.

He stepped through the massive silk curtains covering the door to the balcony and took a long, deep breathe in. The room had become some what warm and stuffy, so the cool evening breeze was blissful on his body and the fresh air helped to ease his anxiety. He wandered to the edge of the balcony and placed his elbows on the stone railings. He could feel the chill from the stone through his sleeve as he rested his arms on it and let his head drop. Trying to control his thoughts seemed impossible for him. Just as he was ready to go back, PB appeared from behind the curtain. "Lemongrab?" He spun round to meet her concerned gaze. "Is everything alright? I saw you heading out here at an alarming rate."

"Yeah, I just needed some air." He returned to his previous position, however he could hear PB step towards him and only stopped when she was by his side.

"Something on your mind?" She asked curiously. "If you want you can tell me, I am your creator after all." Lemongrab felt somewhat edgy about telling her the truth. Because after all, the situation confused Lemongrab so how could he explain something he didn't understand.

"I just..." He became brain dead and couldn't summon the right words. "I just get panicky around people I don't know." PB comforted him by stroking his shoulder and back.

"If you want you can join my table, I've only got Esme and Lemonfriend there at the moment, so it would be a good way to build your confidence." Lemongrab froze yet again by the mention of Lemonfriend. How awkward was he going to make it? Should he take the risk, if it meant being closer to him. That's all he wanted anyway. To be closer, emotionally as well as physically.

"Yeah, sure. Thank you." Lemongrab smiled gingerly at the princess, who lead him back in to the room, towards her table near the back.

Lemonfriend and Esme where already gossiping away, smiles on both their faces. Giggles escaping their lips. There was a chair next to Esme for Lemongrab and the other opposite was for the princess. Lemongrab felt some what relieved that he wasn't directly next to him. He didn't want him to see his blushed cheeks. Four drinks where set in each of the placed for them to sip on during their talk with one another. PB gestured to Lemongrab to take a seat on the white chair which was detailed with spirals and mirrored patterns. As he approached the table, he was greeted by friendly smiles and a loving atmosphere. He placed himself down next to Esme, who was quick to check up on him. "Feeling better?" Lemongrab nodded and pulled the chair in to the table, letting the clean, white sheet drape over his knee slightly.

"Did you want anything to eat?" Asked Lemonfriend. Just by hearing his voice was enough to make Lemongrab's heart skip a beat and become out of rhythm. His whole body heated up like an oven and the fuzzy feeling in his belly returned to taunt him.

"No thanks, I've had something." He politely replied. "I like what you two have done in here. It really suits the evening."

"Well thank you, it was mainly PB." Said Lemonfriend.

"Don't be silly, you did a lot too." PB gave him a friendly push, which caused him to smile slightly and chuckle. "How has the evening been for you so far? Any trouble?"

"No, not at all. It's been great so far." Lemongrab grinned smoothly to cover his nerves, but Esme intruded on the conversation.

"Well, that's not true." Lemongrab whipped his head round to Esme with a discourage expression. "There was that princess flirting with you." Lemongrab gasped inaudibly, as he couldn't believe Esme would bring such an event that happened moments ago.

"She was not flirting!" He snapped.

"Wait, who's this?" Asked Lemonfriend. He almost sounded aggressive or protective.

"Lumpy space princess. She just ran up to me and talked for a bit that's all." Lemonfriend relaxed his posture and lead back in his chair.

"She too was flirting. What was it she said to you again? When did you get..?" Before Esme could finish, Lemongrab silenced her by cutting himself in to the sentence. He was not going to let her embarrass his.

"The details aren't important." He said in haste. PB couldn't help but laugh at his shyness.

"LSP is quite a man chaser, she would ask out anyone she thought was 'hot'." Said the pink princess. Esme nudge a recessive Lemongrab on his shoulder.

"At least we know what she thinks of you then, hey?" She teased. Lemongrab felt a hot flame burn from within his cheeks, as his face blushed red. The whole table began to giggling, even the bashful Lemongrab.

It was strange. Somehow after the table all had a laugh together; it was easy to talk together. Time started to pass them by, as they chatted, laughed and drank together. It was like they were friends from the beginning of time. Soon enough people started to come up to PB to bid their goodbyes. One by one, the important guests began to leave the hall, even Finn and Jake were becoming tired and had to travel home. This left the four of them with just 15 other guests who had assembled in the middle of the room and spoke to one another. The four didn't care that people were going; they were enjoying being around each other too much. Especially Lemongrab and Lemonfriend. It is frustrating. If only they knew of their love for one another. Maybe. Just maybe. It could be.

All of a sudden, Esme felt something poke at her rib. When she looked down, she saw that her dress had broken. Easily fixed, but needed two pairs of hands. "Damn it! The zips bust again. PB would you mind helping me? Just by holding it together."

"Sure Esme, the bathrooms are over there. Let's go." Back in a minute guys." And with that the girls had left the table, leaving the two lemons alone with no idea how to speak to each other. They both didn't want to embarrass themselves, but they wanted to break the tension. Lemongrab fought with his mind which told him to keep quiet. He pushed aside the negativity and focused on plucking up enough courage to talk. He couldn't hide his feelings anymore. He was not use to feeling love and couldn't bottle it up anymore. The privacy gave him the best opportunity, so he had to seize it.

"Hey uhh, Lemonfriend?" Lemonfriend turned his head away from his drink to state in to him eyes. His peering tender gaze made Lemongrab rethink his sudden choice. What should he say? "I still don't know much about you, and I've known you for years now. So tell me about yourself." Such a corny line but he didn't care. He was final speaking properly with his first love.

"Well, there's not much to tell. The princess taught me to cook and ever since then I have loved it. I love music."

"Really? What type?" Lemongrab felt uplifted, as he discovered they had a shared interest.

"Anything really. It depends for me. Why? Do you like music?"

"Yeah, I got heavily in to it at the unit. I know you wouldn't think it because of past events, but yeah, music is a hobby of mine." Lemongrab remained composed and took a small sip of his last drink of the night.

"A hobby?" Questioned a confused Lemonfriend.

"Yeah, I've learnt to play the guitar. While you're in the unit, you have a lot of spare time, so I though that was a good way to pass the time by." Lemongrab gave a small chuckle as he remembered the enjoyable times he would have. "Esme and I teamed up sometimes. She has a lovely voice, so we would do duets from time to time."

"You two seem close." Lemonfriend blushed as he asked Lemongrab a personal question. "I hope I'm not being intrusive, but are you two an item?"

"Oh no no no, just close friends. She's not really my... Type shall we say." Confessed Lemongrab. "Well I guess you asked me I can ask you. Have u got a lover?"

"Not me." Something inside Lemongrab's stomach lifted, as he discovered he may yet have a chance. He kept talking to himself. Giving himself pep talks. How was he going to do this?

"Oh ok. Anyway, is there anything else you like?" He inquired.

"Well, I like going in to town, walking or Taking my lemon Pegasus for a ride. Have you seen much of the town?"

"No, I have been to a tailor and café but that's it. Not really had the confidence to go on my own yet." He chuckled slightly and peered in to Lemonfriend's bright, soft eyes.

"Really? Well, maybe I could take you around. You know, show you all the things you can do, so if you get bored you will know where to go." Lemonfriend blushed furious. His belly had never felt so twisted from nerves. Was he subtly asking Lemongrab on a date? Lemongrab was oblivious at the beginning, but soon saw the opportunity to go on the date and seized it.

"Yeah. Yeah why not. That would be great. Thank you." Lemongrab couldn't stop smiling, and either could Lemonfriend. They had finally done it. Ok, it wasn't a love confession, but they were finally going to be alone together for a date. If you would call it that.

"Great, how's tomorrow at 2. I know it's a bit early, but I'm not sure when else on free." Said Lemonfriend.

"That's fine. I might have to ask Esme if I can skip training, but I should be fine." Just as they agreed the place and time, the girls finally returned from the bathroom.

"This dress may look nice, but the zip can be a pain in the butt." Joked Esme. PB giggled and placed herself back down on her chair.

"Yeah it seemed impossible to fix, but we did it. Sorry if we were longer than expected." Neither of the lemons cared. They had time together and even more in the future. Even if it didn't lead to anything, they were still in the presents of each other and that was enough for them to be happy.

"No it's fine; we've just been talking more." Said Lemonfriend, as he gave out a giant yawn. "Sorry, I might have to go soon, I don't know why but I'm suddenly very tired." He admitted.

"We all should go, it's almost 11 anyway." Proposed PB. They all stood up and tucked the chair underneath the table. The hall was going to be cleared in the morning, so they left everything out to deal with it then. When they left the hall, both couples bided their good nights and went separate ways towards their rooms. On the way, Lemongrab needed the time to ask Esme if he could skip training. He was like a student asking to be excused from gym class. But how should he do it? Tell the truth? Or come up with something to stop her teasing him?

"Umm, Esme?"

"Yeah?" She looked up to Lemongrab who was red slightly, but had a glimmer of gleefulness behind his mysterious eyes.

"Is it possible to miss tomorrow's training by any chance?" He asked delicately.

"Well yeah or course, but why? Are you sick?"

"No I'm fine, I just..." Esme continued to stare up at Lemongrab hoping to get the truth out of him. Which she did. "Before I say, don't say anything." Esme shook her head as her anticipated built. "Lemonfriend invited me out tomorrow." Before Lemongrab could explain Esme shrieked with excitement.

"A date!? Oh my glob I knew you could do it!" Lemongrab hastily shushed her to stop waking up the whole castle.

"It's not a date."

"How do you know?" Lemongrab was once again silenced by Esme's rapid reply.

"It just didn't seem like he asked in that way. He is just showing me around town and we're going for a walk with our steeds." Esme was still in a hysterical state, flapping her hands from how overjoyed she was.

"Whatever. Treat it like one. Get him to fall totally in love with you. Score!" Esme teased him more and more, just like he thought she would.

"Shut up Esme, calm yourself. You're more excited then me." That was not a hundred percent true. He could hardly hold back the bubbling feelings of delight from within himself. He was going to be with Lemonfriend again. Just like before. Soon they arrived at Lemongrab's room. He said his goodbyes to Esme but before Lemongrab could shut himself away Esme gave him one last tip.

"Tomorrow, be yourself. If you are too different now, he will think that's you when it's not. Let him fall in love with you, not an alternate version. Have fun tomorrow."

"Thanks for the tip." He began to shut his door; however it was halted by Esme's foot.

"One more thing." Lemongrab opened the door again and looked at her sarcastically. "Here." She held on the Lemongrab's hand and placed something inside it. He observed what was placed inside. It was a Chap Stick type thing. "Put this on before you kiss, the flavour is really nice." Esme winked and giggled at Lemongrab before running away as quick as she could in her heels. Lemongrab tried to chase after her, but saw no point in it. He glanced down at the Chap Stick again. Lemon flavour with a hint of mint. He rolled his eyes and was able to at last enter his room.

Once he had removed his suit and prepared himself for bed, he threw himself on to the bouncy mattress, landing on his back with his arms spread-eagle. As he dropped heavily on to the bed, he let out a deep sigh and let his cover protect him from the chilling air. Lemongrab could not stop grinning. He felt overwhelmed with excitement a about the day ahead. Although the day seemed to start badly to him, due to his nerves, the end was perfect. He fell asleep still smiling, dreaming about his short time with Lemonfriend and how he wanted so much more. 


	8. Chapter 7-Confession of my lemon love

Lemongrab was sauntering towards the fountain in the centre of the square to meet Lemonfriend, when he was suddenly overcome with a sense of fear. His first date. He knew he was going to have nerves, but the fuzzy, ache in him belly was incomprehensible. Each step he took seemed heavier than the last, as his legs became jelly. Thankfully he had arrived at the fountain and plonked himself down on the pearl, white stone ring holding in the clear water. Glancing down at his watch, he realised he was reasonably early. This was due to the fact that waiting in his room was only making his anxiety worsen; ever hour seemed to increase the shaking of his hands. Peering round he was suddenly struck by confusion. The town was completely clear.

Empty. Like a ghost town. Not a whisper could be heard. The only sound he could make out was the falling water behind him and the gentle breeze stroking his cheek.

However the silence was short lived, as but a few moments later Lemongrab could hear his name being called. He scanned around the town to try and figure out were the mysterious voice was calling from. To his right he spotted Lemonfriend peering out from behind a building. An old pub of some kind. Lemonfriend gestured to him to follow him around the back of the pub. Without hesitation, Lemongrab promptly jumped up and strolled over to Lemonfriend. He had hidden himself around the back and was silently treading his way through the alleyway. They both came to a halt when they met an ancient, rusty door. An old secret door in to the kingdom? Must have been. It looked cracked, rotten and flimsy. Nevertheless Lemonfriend gently opened it. It screamed as he pushed it back, revealing the yellow meadows of candy flowers, as well as the cotton candy forests. They were all touched by the midday sun, bringing out every ounce of colour stored in the artificial plants. "This way, I want to show you something." Admitted Lemonfriend as he led Lemongrab in to a densely packed forest.

They must have been walking through the maze of forests for 15 minutes now. Lemongrab felt lost and was bewildered. All the trees looked the same to him, yet Lemonfriend saw each one of them totally differently, making it possible for him to navigate through the thick jungle. "Why can't you tell me where you're taking me?" Asked Lemongrab.

"It wouldn't be a surprise then would it. Anyway, we are almost there, just around this corner." Lemonfriend turned off the overgrown path and continued to drag Lemongrab through vines and branches which tugged at his shirt. "Ta da!" Exclaimed an elated Lemonfriend. Lemongrab pulled back one final branch to discover what Lemonfriend was displaying to him. What could only be described as heaven appeared before Lemongrab? It looked like a circular part of the forest had been plucked out, only to be replaced with fresh green grass. A crystal blue river ran down a white crashing waterfall and through the middle of the small meadow of grass. Some patches had wildflowers sprouting up from beneath the ground. Blues, yellows, pinks and reds were dotted all over; bring a dash of colour to the already bright paradise. Lemongrab was speechless, how could something so captivating, so magnificent exist in their world. "Beautiful isn't it." Lemongrab was finally drawn away from the natural beauty by Lemonfriend's statement. He was still in shock, so simply replied by nodding his head leisurely. Lemonfriend, giggling slightly, held on to Lemongrab's hand and brought him down to the rivers edge, A small drop down in to deep, clean water. They both sat with their legs crossed by the side of the river to enjoy the serenity and beams of sunshine.

"How on earth did you find a place like this?" Queried Lemongrab.

"Having a flying horse makes it easy to spot. We were out riding or flying like usual when he flew over this place. My curiosity got the better of me and I landed him here. I was astonished by it."

"So am I." Lemongrab took one final glance around his new, natural surroundings. It felt wonderful to be out of the city. Although it was his home, you can't beat the peace that nature brings to you, with no need of money. He leered round to admire the man who brought him to this sacred place. The nature was not the only thing he found appealing. Lemonfriend's eyes seemed bigger and brighter than usual. More captivating than usual. His skin glowed thanks to the sunlight placing its beam of

light on to his arms and face. Lemongrab wanted to stay in that moment with Lemonfriend forever, just the two of them appreciating the beauty of the forest.

"Phew, in the sun you really do get hot." Confessed Lemonfriend.

"I was still admiring the surrounding. Didn't even notice until now." Lemonfriend returned his gaze across the lake, before coming up with an idea.

"I know." He lifted his foot up out of his position and began to undo his laces. He took off his shoes and socks and delicately placed his feet in the cooling, fresh water. He sighed and relaxed his whole body, falling back in to the cushy grass. "You should try that. It's surprisingly cooling." Lemongrab wasted no time in removing his footwear and placing them by his side. He was shocked by how chilly the water was, but once his feet were in, it was blissful. Somehow, just by lowering their feet in, it cooled their whole Bodies. Lemongrab lead down by Lemonfriend's side, who had his eyes shut and was taking in the strong sun beams. "Is that better?" He asked in a sedative way.

"Much." Replied Lemongrab. He felt like a drug had been injected in to his body. Like he had been shot with a tranquilliser dart. Eyes growing heavy, he sparked up a conversation with Lemonfriend. "Do you come here much?"

"No I only remembered today, I will definitely start making it a regular thing. It's so... Tranquil compared to the business castle." Lemonfriend sat up and stared down to Lemongrab. "But I think you make it perfect." Lemongrab bolted up.

"Me?" Lemonfriend nodded still making eye contact with him. Either of them could turn away from their loving gaze. "Why me?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Well, I like... No more than that... I love you. You and I were the only ones of our kind before the children were made, so I have always seen you as much more." Lemongrab couldn't hold back his silly grin.

"I'm the same; you were the only person who understood my lemon styles. I was quick to fall for you." They smiled at each other, still looking deep in to their eyes. But then Lemonfriend glanced down to Lemongrab's lips, whilst biting him own. Lemongrab knew what he wanted. He leaned gradually closer and closer to Lemonfriend, who also began to move his head towards his. They both stopped when their lips met for a loving, subtle kiss. It quickly began to deepen. Turning more passionate with every motion of their mouths. Lemonfriend started to caress Lemongrab's neck and cheek with his soft lemon hand. Lemongrab returned the touch, but by stroking his hip. As their passion grew further, Lemongrab rolled over Lemonfriend, Letting him agilely lay down on the bed of grass. With Legs entwined and hands busy caressing necks and backs, they continued to enjoy the company of the other.

That was until Lemongrab opened his eyes. Yet again he had a misleading and profound dream. He was lead on his stomach with a pillow between his arms. Like he had been cuddling it. Not only that but he discovered damp, mouth prints on the pillow. He had been sleep kissing? He sighed and rubbed his eyes to clear his hazy vision. He tried to make out the time on his clock; however it was impossible without his glasses. Placing the framed mirrors on his nose he glanced back towards the clock. 3:23 in the morning! This agitated Lemongrab as he knew he was going to be even more sluggish in the more. Ten times worse than usual. So he took no time in trying to get back to sleep to rest up for his REAL first date. Although how was this going to be possible when he had just had another confusing dream. Was it reality? Did that happen? All he knew was that his eyes were becoming increasingly heavier from his long evening and soon drifted off in to his dream land again.

Lemongrab parted his eye lids as he awoke from his deep slumber, only to snap them shut again due to the blinding sunlight cutting through a gap in the curtains. He rolled on to his back to let it be supported by the comfortable mattress. As he rubbed his head and eyes, he let out a deep sigh which was soon followed by an almighty yawn. Definitely not the best night sleep thanks to the interruption of his doze. Sluggishly, he sat up right in his bed, letting the covers slide off his chest on to his slightly bent legs. When he peered round to look at his clock, he had to squint slightly. Mostly because he didn't have his glasses on, but also because his eyes were still adjusting to the daylight. All of a sudden panic flooded over him. "13:10?! It can't be." He thought to himself. He grabbed his glasses to clarify the time. To his horror, he was right to begin with. He sprung out of bed and sprinted to his shower.

Lucky for Lemongrab he was good at getting ready in a rush. He was dressed in his dark blue t-shirt with black horizontal strips on it, all varying in width and black jeans in no time. Deodorant and after shave was sprayed around his body to try and cover the sweat created by the anxiety buried within him. He even had time to think about what to say in to a mirror. He knew he looked stupid, saying things out load, but he felt like he needed to practise. What if he messed things up or embarrasses himself again? He tried to think of good 'pick up lines' to make Lemonfriend laugh or feel appreciated and confidence. "You know for a lemon you're very sweet." Was his first thought, but it sounded too corny. "Sorry if I stare in to your eyes too much, I'm attracted to beautiful, sparkly things." Just as he finished the awful line, he heard someone behind him speak up.

"Oh my glob." Whispered Esme, who was standing in the door frame. "You really need to work on pick up lines. I have heard some painful lines before, but you take the biscuit." Esme walked towards him, rubbing her forehead in the process.

"I didn't hear you knock." Stated an embarrassed Lemongrab.

"It's lucky I didn't, otherwise I would've let you lose with lines like THAT." She teased. "I just came to see how you are. You look the part and by the invisible wall of deodorant I just walked through, you must smell the part." Lemongrab casually rolled his eyes. "You don't need to win his heart, he already likes you. So just tell him the truth. Speak from the heart."

"It's too early for that." Defended Lemongrab. He was now a deep shade of red.

"It's never to early or too late, be truthful with each other. If it's meant to be, it WILL be. I need to go train, good luck and tell me all tomorrow." Esme departed his room, leaving him full of anxiety. The thought of confessing his emotions to Lemonfriend gave him the shakes and sweats. Glancing at his clock once more, he realised he only had 15 minutes to get to the fountain and meet the man who stole his heart. So he bolted out his room in haste, still quivering subtly but composed enough to jog out the castle in to the blazing sun of the candy Kingdom.

The stone fountain, which was directly in the centre of the town, was finally in sight but with one around it. Lemongrab relaxed his thumping heart from the speed at which he had just done to get there on time. Steadily pacing towards the meeting point, Lemongrab noticed how much his dream matched the scenery. The square was motionless, the sun shot blinding light down to earth and the silence lingered throughout the town. All you could hear was the song birds whistling their song of nature and the flowing water from the detailed structure of stone.

He placed himself on the edge of the fountain and began the agonising wait for Lemonfriend.

The more he waited, the more he began to doubt himself. Esme told him to confess, but somewhere deep down in his heart, there was an inaudible voice telling him to wait. After all, this was not a defiant 'date', just an offer. He kept arguing with himself, saying that it wasn't the right time but then moments later he would oppose his previous thought. It puzzled him greatly. But, the argument was cut short by the sound of footsteps growing closer. The silence was finally broken, but the nerves only dominated more. He looked up to see Lemonfriend walking towards him. When he caught his eye, Lemonfriend waved to him and slowed his pace. Lemongrab jumped up and wandered over to Lemonfriend. "Hey, sorry I'm late, stupid meeting over ran." Lemonfriend seemed embarrassed and regretful in his words.

"No, it fine. You're not late at all." Lemongrab tried to make him feel less guilty, but Lemonfriend still felt awful for making him wait, even if it was a few mere minutes. "So, what is your plan for us?" He asked.

"Well firstly, we need to get something, come with me." Lemonfriend turned and lead Lemongrab across the town, back near the castle.

Lemonfriend was taking him to the stables to get an old friend back. He led him in to the stables to reunite him with his trusty steed. The lemon camel. "Remember this guy?" He teased. Lemongrab felt confused at first but when he walked through the door, he felt delighted to glance upon what he saw an old friend. He could not help the huge smile from spreading across his cheeks.

"Hey boy!" He said ecstatically. The camel responded by swishing its small tail as much as it could and lifting his feet rapidly, making it look like he was dancing. Lemongrab almost run up to him to pet his nose and try to calm him down. It was like a dog being reunited with its owner. The old, wooden stables was filled with happiness and contentment, the like of which Lemonfriend never experienced with the two of them, then again Lemongrab has never been away for that Long before. The Poor lemon camel was depressed almost everyday, wondering where his owner had gone. For him it was much more than 13 months, as when Lemongrab was fat, he couldn't ride him. But now he could.

"I thought it would be nice to take them for a ride round the town and neighbouring forests." Lemonfriend confessed.

"That sounds great. Let's go." Both men took their noble steeds outside and mounted them ready to ride. Firstly, Lemonfriend showed him the marvellous main market place, where most of the towns' food is sold. In Front of the small, shops there were stalls of many kinds selling their good to passers. As they journeyed through the centre they visited a number of stalls for snacks and drink to have. Both lemons agreed it would be great to see the rest of the town, and then relax in the shade somewhere outside the castle with the snacks and drinks. But for now, they continued onwards. Lemonfriend showed him the best pubs and restaurants, which were known thought out the kingdom for their unique styles and range of cuisines. There were colourful schools for the kids, butchers for fresh, delicious meat, a wide range of shops which specialised in craft, sport, music and even cooking. The candy Kingdom was like any other Kingdom. They had all the necessities, but somehow it felt more welcoming and pleasant to be there, which Lemongrab did not expect. Never before did he think this, but he finally felt at home. Like he belonged somewhere. Was wanted somewhere.

Soon Lemonfriend had shown him the whole of the town, so they came to a halt outside the kingdoms walls. They rested themselves and the animals in the shade provided by the bloomed candy floss trees. Angelic Sugar blossom smoothly floated down towards the pale, yellow grass and rested on the blades surrounding them. "Thanks for showing me the kingdom. It really is a great place to be." Said Lemongrab.

"Yeah it is. It can get noisy at times, but the people are very welcoming and friendly." Replied Lemonfriend. There was a split moment of silence, before Lemongrab tried to continue the chat.

"Do you ever feel like you need to get away from it all?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Lemongrab shrugged his shoulders and peered down to the oddly coloured grass.

"I mean where do you go if you ever get stressed or need some peace and quiet?"

"Oh, umm my room I guess. There isn't really anywhere else." Lemongrab thought back to his dream. He was still able to picture the natural beauty of the place. He vowed to find somewhere like that, so it could be their special place. But for now, he kept silent about it. "What about you? I know you haven't been here long, but what about in the unit? Did you have a place there?" Lemonfriend almost felt discouraged to ask, but felt compelled by his curiosity to find out.

"Well as you can imagine, you're on close watch sometimes. Especially if you're new. But it would have been my room and it applies to here too." There conversation halted once more, with only the gentle breeze breaking the silence. However Lemonfriend was quick to ask more about him.

"Yesterday, you said that you played guitar and sang with Esme. How the hell did you get in to that?" Lemonfriend cheekily asked.

"I know, I wasn't the type of person to get in to it, but at the unit, you have so much free time. You find yourself getting more agitated by the second. So, I thought I may as well use my time wisely. Esme gave me plans on how to make a guitar and I did. I've played it ever since. It also helps to make me happy in times where I feel down."

"That's so cool. Do you write your own stuff?" He continued to question Lemongrab.

"Yeah sometimes if I feel like it. But only if it is something I feel strongly about, otherwise my writing skills are crap." Lemongrab glanced down in stare at his twiddling thumbs.

"I'm sure there not. You should have brought it and played me something." Lemongrab sprung to attention.

"HA, no way! I can't play in front of people, only Esme. Besides, I'm not that good." He said modishly.

"I bet you are; you just don't think you are." Lemonfriend nudged his on the shoulder and gave him a caring, encouraging look. Just the look of his eyes was enough to make Lemongrab's heart melt.

"Urgh, maybe another time." Lemonfriend grinned from joy as he began to anticipate his personal performance in the future.

The day seemed to storm by after that. They could not stop chatting with each other about music and how it made them feel. It led to topics like how they relax, what their dreams were and how they would get there. Alas the afternoon was drawing to a close. It was almost striking 5pm and Lemonfriend needed to meet PB at the castle. They leaped up from their shaded spot and walked their steeds back to their stable. On the way Lemongrab couldn't help but notice some children staring up in to a tree, looking disheartened and confused. He decided that as he wandered past, he should check the situation in case someone was in trouble. Lemonfriend also noticed the children as he was the first to address them. "Hello Jimmy and Jessica." Said Lemonfriend. "Is everything ok?"

"Jimmy was an idiot and threw our ball too high. Now it's stuck up in that tree." Both lemons peered up to see a large, blue ball wedged between two white barked branches. It was at least 2 stories high. How a little boy got it up there was hard to contemplate.

"That's high. We might need a ladder." Stated Lemonfriend.

"No need." Lemongrab recalled the lessons Esme gave him when they went tree running. All he needed to do was to pick a route and keep in rhythm with his movements. He jumped for the first branch and hauled himself up. Thanks to his new strength he was able to clamber on top of the branch with ease. All of a sudden he began to jump from branch to branch like a ninja through the night. It flowed like a dance routine and amazed the viewers stuck on the ground. The children parted their mouths as they began to let out small noises of amazement.

"Whoa, how does he do that?" Said Jimmy. Lemonfriend was thinking the same thing. He to was perplexed by the rapid, steady movements of his clone. He couldn't even call him that anymore. They were so different now.

Once Lemongrab returned to the ground after retrieving the ball, he was welcomed by three faces of pure astonishment.

"Here you go." He said as he gentle threw the ball back to Jimmy. "Try not to get it in the trees next time." He teased.

"Wow, thank you mister. Bye!" And with that, the elated kids sprinted off in to the distance. He turned to face Lemonfriend who was still just staring at him in bewilderment.

"Where did you learn to do that?" He inquired.

"Esme. Again. We go tree running sometimes. It's like running but there are obstacles and you have to clear the area in a snazzy way. Normal running gets repetitive." Lemongrab grabbed on to lemon camels' harness. "Come on, PB will be wondering where you are." Still slightly shocked by his performance, Lemonfriend obeyed and journeyed on with Lemongrab to the stables.

The now full and sleepy lemon animals were put back in to their cosy stable, leaving their masters to walk alone together. Lemongrab didn't want the moment to end. He had had such a great time with him. It reminded him of all the fun times they had in the past, which kicked up some distressing memories of how it all went horribly downhill. Lemongrab forced these emotions back. He didn't need reminders of the past. They were in the past and couldn't be changed, he just had to enjoy the here and now, and right now he didn't want to be anywhere other than Lemonfriend's side. The thing was He knew how to keep Lemonfriend close; he just didn't have the guts. Maybe if he confessed his feelings, Lemonfriend would reduplicate these affections. Maybe they could be together. They neared the entrance to the castle, so Lemongrab had to seize his opportunity. It was now or never.

"Hey Lemonfriend?" Lemonfriend faces Lemongrab only to see his troubled expression and fidgety hands.

"Yes? Is something wrong? You seem on edge." Just at this point they reached the bottom of the steps leading to the main door of the castle. They pause, and turn face to face.

"No nothing's wrong at all. I just need to tell you something." Lemongrab was drawing this out longer than it should have been. He couldn't help it though. He felt himself shrink small and small, he had no idea how to explain to him. "I just need to say that..." He was cut short yet again by his quivering nerves. "I..." Before he could finish, he was interrupted.

"Lemonfriend!" A slightly anger princess stormed down the steps towards them. "Where have you been? I told you to meet me back here ages ago. The banana guard were assembled and waiting for instructions but they got bored and left, I needed you there." PB continued to rant at her creations.

"I'm sorry PB it was my fault. I helped some kids get there ball back, so I guess I made us late." Confessed Lemongrab.

"It's nice of you to help people Lemongrab, thank you. But I'm looking at Lemonfriend. You knew that today was important." Lemongrab was lost by her words. What did she mean? And if it was so important, why did Lemonfriend ask him to go out today?

"Sorry PB, I was showing Lemongrab around. I will be there in a second. Lemongrab, you had something you wanted to say?" Lemongrab felt hot under the collar again. He couldn't say while PB was standing there. His opportunity had slipped through his fingers and poured out on to the ground. It might arise again but when was unknown.

"No it's fine, it was nothing. Just wanted to say good luck with the banana guard. They can be a handle, as we just heard." Lemongrab successful covered his tracks, but he couldn't help feeling disappointed.

"Oh if you're sure, well we have to go. If you want to talk again I will be in my room. Bye." PB and Lemonfriend ran up the stairs to order the frantic banana guard again, leaving Lemongrab to walk back to his room, disheartened and agitated.

The morning sun rose once again over the candy Kingdom. Sun beams were creeping through Lemongrab's curtains, causing him to wake up from his deep slumber. He stretched out his hand to block the beams and stop them attacking his squinting eyes. As he rolled over on to his back, he reminisced about yesterday. Being so close to Lemonfriend and being able to talk one to one with him was the best feeling Lemongrab had ever had. Yet he was still disappointed by the fact that he was so close to telling him the truth, if it was not for PB's abrupt rant. Although he felt defeated by his idiotic and childlike nerves, he brushed it from and tried to focus on the day ahead. He had early morning practise with Esme, so he wasted no time in hopping out of bed to change and eat breakfast, which was delivered to him a few moments after he was dressed and ready.

Now fully ready for the tasks ahead, he headed down to the training grounds to meet with Esme, whilst carrying his usual equipment in his training bag. This included his sword, hand and leg protectors, water and a small towel. Wondering down the halls on his own allowed his brain to daze off in to his dream world. More vision of him a Lemonfriend gradually crept out of his sub-conscience and invaded his dream like state. Most were innocent, but every so often they would take an 'adult' turn. Images of him kissing and nibbling Lemonfriend's neck, whilst he pinned him to a wall. He tried desperately to stop the daydreams messing with his mind, but they were far too strong to casually push back. With fear of embarrassing himself again, he composed himself and silenced his mind, as he wandered out on to the training grounds. Esme was there once again, setting up everything for the session. Lemongrab got less than 3 metres away from her before she realised he was there. "Ah, there's Mr Lover boy." She teased at him like any friend would.

"Mr what?" He chuckled. Esme giggled and turned to face him once she had finished the preparation. She crossed her arms to begin the interrogation.

"So, how did it go yesterday?" She inquired.

"It went well thanks. He took me for a tour around the town on our animals. Then we chilled for a bit outside the castle walls on the outskirts of a forest." Esme nodded her head a shaped her face in to an agreeable expression.

"Did you need to use the Chap Stick I gave you?" Lemongrab tutted at her and rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"No, of course not." He replied.

"Bet you wish you had the chance though." Lemongrab gave no verbal response. He simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders jokingly. Esme giggled and gently elbowed him in his ribs. Although Lemongrab hid it well, Esme could still sense that something didn't go to plan yesterday. "Did anything else happen? Something bad?"

"No it was perfect, why do you say that?" Lemongrab asked.

"Well, you seem kind of miffed." He decided it would be best to tell her what happened. There is no point in lying about something small.

"I missed the chance to tell him my feelings, that's all." Esme sighed as if she was annoyed.

"Seriously! You idiot." Lemongrab frowned at what she just said.

"How am I an idiot?" Esme relaxed her arms and used her hands to help empathise her points.

"You were alone together, in a beautiful spot; you know he likes you so why didn't you say?" Lemongrab was quick in his response.

"I was going to; I was so close to saying it." Whilst continuing to speak, he lifted his hand and made an inch wide pincer to show how close he was. "But then Princess Bubblegum came to get him before I could explain."

"So what if she was there, you could have said it." Lemongrab began to feel angered by her repetitive harassment.

"No I couldn't, how the hell would I explain that?" Esme opened her mouth as to say something but she was suddenly shushed by Lemongrab, who was now showing an annoyed expression. "And before you say anything, I know I will have to explain in the future, but yesterday, no, it wasn't the right moment." As he finished, Esme sighed and turned to pick up her sword for practise.

"S'pose you're right. It would be like confessing your love in front of your mother." They both nodded slightly in agreement. "But the next opportunity you get, you need to grab it Lemongrab. No pun intended." She winked and smiled after her awful joke. Even though it was a ridiculously bad pun, it was enough to enlighten Lemongrab's mood. He lifted his sword out of his scabbard and followed on after Esme to begin practise.

Over the past few weeks, mostly in the unit, Lemongrab had been showing brilliant sword technique and was displaying great skill in that area. He blocked and swung with ease, the movements flowed causing more power to be driven forward and most of all, he was finding it easier as he progressed, which showed how far he had come. However, soon it was time for Lemongrab to return to his room for a well deserved break and shower.

It chimed 11 o'clock as Lemongrab entered his sparkling clean shower to wash the saltiness off his tough lemon skin. People say that the most in depth thoughts happen in the shower; this was turning out to be true for Lemongrab. As he washed his head new thoughts emerged. It was like every time he rubbed his head, it coaxed out more profound ideas. If he told Lemonfriend now, it could be too soon. However if he didn't, it might never happen again and he will never get his lemon lover. He kept batting his thoughts back and forth. One moment, he was going to stay silent, the next he was going to confess his love from the roof tops. Frustration started to build within Lemongrab, as he continued to fight with himself.

After ages of battling, he finally gave in and decided...

Yes... There is no point in holding it back anymore. He loved him and he couldn't deny it any longer. He was going to march up to Lemonfriend's room and confess straight from his lemon heart. With his new found confidence, he strolled out of the shower to change in to his clothes.

He started to think what he should wear. It may not have been a big deal for some, but this was his first time saying to someone 'I love you'. He managed to pull out a light grey polo shirt with three black buttons leading up to the collar, which he wore down. The top was kind of tight in areas on his arms and chest, but after recalling the lessons given by Esme, this counted as a form of flirting. He then wore some tight-ish but extremely dark grey jeans. They almost looked black. To top it off, he slipped on a pair of black sneakers, which had white laces and a white sole. He glanced in the mirror. He began to have second thoughts about his appearance. Something about it was... Wrong. He felt like a giant douchbag. He grunted as he stripped off his top and looked for something else to wear. There it was. Staring right at him. A Y- necked, short sleeved t-shirt. Perfect.

It was still a light grey, but the edging on the sleeves, neck and where the buttons joined were as black as coal, which somehow gave life to the top. Peering in to the mirror again, he was finally satisfied with how he looked. Relaxed and casual were the words that would spring to mind. At last, with a final squirt of manly fragrance, he was able to leave his room and journey to what could be his future love.

The walk towards Lemonfriend's too seemed strenuous and lasted much longer than Lemongrab anticipated. Maybe he was sub-consciously walking slowly, because he needed the time to think. The nearer he got, the more his tummy felt contorted and uneasy.

First he was four minutes away...

Then three minutes...

Two...one. Zero.

After what felt like hours he had finally reached the door to his future. Sudden waves of doubt flew over Lemongrab's entire body. His mind told him NO, but his lemon heart said YES. That must be right. The heart is always right.

It took all of his will power to defend against his attack of nerves. Cautiously, he raised his hand to knock the wooden door. Despite freezes a few times from tension, he finally knocked the door. Three loud knocks enacted from the door. He stood helplessly outside the door, awaiting a response for his crush. Nothing. Just when he thought to turn around and leave his pride, the doors latch clicked open and the hinges silently squeaked, as the old wooden door was at last pulled open.

Stood behind it was a surprised Lemonfriend, who was shocked by the face that greeted him. "Oh, hey Lemongrab. Is everything alright?" No going back now, Lemongrab just had to gather as much courage as he could, so he could finally talk to Lemonfriend.

"Hey. Everything is fine, I just wondered if I could talk to you." Lemongrab scratched the back of his head. "In private."

"Of course, come in." Lemonfriend opened the door fully to invite Lemongrab in. Lemongrab glanced to the right, then to the left to check if anyone was there. He didn't want any interruptions this time. Luckily, there was nobody around. Probably having lunch.

Upon entering the room, Lemongrab scanned it with his eyes. His room was very spacious, yet it felt so warm and cosy. Cream walls boxed the two lemons in and had photos pinned all around, bring life to the bland colour. His bed had a similar design to Lemongrab's but the wood was much lighter and the sheets were light blue. Just like every room in the castle, he had stone flooring which was partially covered by a cream rug. His whole room was basically a lighter version of Lemongrab's. Well... They have always been like that. After Lemonfriend had shut the door, he placed himself on his white padded chair and peered up to Lemongrab. "Take a seat." He said softly. Lemongrab gulped. His moment was coming fast, however he had no idea how to word his emotions. He sighed quietly to himself, pulled out the chair and sat leisurely on it. "What did you want to talk about?" He queried. His tone showed that of concern.

"Hmm..." What was he doing? What was he thinking? He could never do this. The pressure and nerves were too much for him. His mind slowly disinterested leaving him dumbstruck. He glanced in to Lemonfriend's worried eyes, but they made him even worse so he hastily looked away. He started to fidget with his hands and tap the heel of his foot on the ground. While he was searching in his mind for what to say, Lemonfriend spoke up again.

"You seem very anxious. Is someone here threatening you?" The concern began to rise within Lemonfriend, but Lemongrab dismissed that idea before it got too high.

"No no no, it's not about anyone. I'm just...thinking about how to say it." Maybe his honestly would help him out of the awkward situation.

"The easiest way to say something is not to think. If it's on your mind, say it." Lemonfriend's advice gave him a boost of confidence, as he inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Ok... I just wanted to say... I mean... Have you ever had feelings for someone? By which I mean... More than like." Lemonfriend started to feel puzzled by Lemongrab's question. However he also felt hot in the face, as he had felt like that. Towards the very lemon sat near him,

"Umm... Yeah. Why do you like someone?" Lemonfriend couldn't hide the disappointment behind his voice. Lemongrab did nothing but a simple nod to confirm Lemonfriend's allegation. "Is it someone you met recently?" Staying silent, Lemongrab shook his head. "At the unit? Is it Esme!?" Lemongrab finally broke his silence.

"No, we are only friends, we couldn't be anymore." Lemongrab was beginning to feel frustrate with himself. Why could he not just confess? "This was a mistake." He jumped up from his chair and headed to the door. "I'm sorry I bothered you." Lemonfriend practically ran after him to halt his departure.

"Wait! Are you sure you don't want to say anymore?" Lemongrab paused. His body was still telling him to run in to his room and never come out, but his heart screamed 'confess' with every racing beat. He took a giant gulp of air and turned round to stare in to Lemonfriend's eyes.

"You're right. I can't keep lying to myself. Lemonfriend... I love you." Lemonfriend was confounded by Lemongrab's bold statement. He could barely speak. Instead he carried on listening to Lemongrab's confession. "I know I don't know much, or anything at all about love. But what I do know is that every time you're near me, my body turns to jelly. If I speak, my words become jumbled. You make my head spin uncontrollably and I can never think straight when you're around. And I also know that when I look in to those big, brown eyes you have, my heart melts away and I steadily realise I'm hopelessly falling in love with you. And you're the only one who has done this to me." Lemonfriend felt choked up by the beautiful words flowing from Lemongrab's mouth. "You were the first person ever to accept me. After years of abandonment and feeling unwanted, you gave me a purpose. It was inevitable that I was to fall for you. I'm sorry if this changes anything between us, but if I didn't say it I would slowly lose my mind. Again." Lemongrab stopped his speech and peered at Lemonfriend who was staring at him in bewilderment. His eyes were shaped in a hurt kind of way, but he was far from hurt. He was amazed and felt blessed. Lemongrab didn't know of his feelings, so guessed that he had upset him. "I'm...sorry, I'll leave." He turned, but before he could place his hand on the door handle, Lemonfriend grabbed his arm to stop his escaping the 'awkward' conversation. Lemongrab glanced down to his arm and traced it back up to Lemonfriend's gaze. His eyes shimmered by the tiny tears forming in his eyes. He opened his mouth as to say something but all that came out was a weird, croaky 'I'. He pulled himself together and returned his emotions to Lemongrab.

"Lemongrab I... don't know what to say. I... Never imagined this happening." As he spoke a smile began to spread across his face.

"Is it weird?" Lemongrab asked innocently. Lemonfriend returned his question with a subtle head-shake. Lemonfriend could not help but to become nosy.

"How long have you felt like this?" He asked. Lemongrab looked down to the floor to try and remember the first time his stomach felt light.

"Probably since I was at the unit, but it didn't occur to me until I met you again." Lemongrab peered up to stare in to Lemonfriend's engaging eyes. "It was like you relit a flame inside my heart." His voice was gentle and smooth. Lemonfriend had no idea how to respond. How could you respond to your crush confessing their love for you? Should he also confess? Lemonfriend relayed the proposal in his mind, trying to find any negative effects of confessing. No matter how much he thought there were no side effects where the outcome was bad, so he plucked up the courage to finally speak.

"Lemongrab, I need to say something as well." Lemongrab was silently waiting in anticipation. "I might also have feelings towards you. I might not be able to show them, but they are there. And they are stronger than ever." Lemongrab's cheeks flushed pure red from the affectionate confession that escaped Lemonfriend's lips and mind.

"So... You like me to?" He asked in shook. Lemonfriend nodded subtly at his crush. This was Lemongrab's moment. His moment to ask him on a prober date. They both liked each other, so it would be perfect for them. "In that case, would you like to go out sometime? You know for a coffee or lunch. We could get to know each other even more." As Lemongrab finished his proposal, Lemonfriend chuckled at the babbling lemonhead and smiled sweetly.

"I would love to. When and where?" He asked cheekily.

"Umm, Sunday at 2 o'clock?"

"Sounds brilliant, I will write it in my diary." They both stared in to each other's eyes for what seemed like minutes. They were both captivated by their loving stares. Their eyes enticed their bodies forward, but before they were close, Lemongrab snapped back to reality. He realised what was going to happen. Although he really wanted to have Lemonfriend that close, he didn't feel ready. After all Lemonfriend was his first love ever.

"I better go. Esme might be looking for me." He stated as he turned to exit through the door.

"Oh right...yeah. Well I'll see you Sunday then." Lemongrab glanced back and smiled, before shutting the door behind him.

As he walked back to his room, he could not wipe away the wide smile spread across his cheeks. Nor could he stop the great feeling of accomplishment he had brewing inside him.

Finally. He had done it. The future looked brighter, now that Lemonfriend could be a part of it. But, only Sunday will tell.


	9. Chapter 8-First date fears

Sunday had at last come about. The days that past seems to last forever for Lemongrab. But finally it was Sunday morning. The sun rose on Lemongrab as he awoke to a warm feeling over his body. Was it the sun, or the knowledge that he would be seeing Lemonfriend in 5 and a half hours? What ever it was, it was veritably pleasant and a delightful way to wake up. He smiled to himself whilst still lying in bed. He could imagine how the date was going to go in his head. Them, sitting at a pub table laughing, talking and being themselves. It might not be dramatic or amazing, but to them it was perfect. All they needed was each other. He leisurely rolled out of bed and staggered over to the pile of freshly washed clothes to grab his training kit.

Once he was clothes and ready, he sauntered out to the usually training grounds to go and meet Esme. He had not yet told her of his up and coming date. He pondered whether to say at all. Although she would probably take the mickey out of him, she was his best friend and they never keep secrets from each other. In the end he decided he should. She could even give him tips. The only question was how he was going to slip that in to a conversation. He didn't want to seem like he was...bragging? No. It's not bragging. He should just say. She would be proud.

He bashed through the door, causing it to slam against the wall. He didn't mean to do this, but he was too full of energy and enthusiasm to control his strength. Esme whipped her head up to see what caused the loud crash. "Careful! That door is older than the ice king!" Joked Esme. She was never series. Only in certain situations.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Anyway, I don't think anything is as old as ice king." Esme tilted her head slightly and smiled signalling her agreement.

"What did you want to do today? Battle technique? Self defence?" Lemongrab began to think about what he was weak on.

"Self defence. I want to keep practising the move you taught me." Esme nodded and place her sword gingerly down on to a table near by. They began to stretch out every muscle on their body to avoid injury. Lemongrab thought this would be the best time to tell Esme about what was unfolding that afternoon. "Hey, are we doing any more training today?" He asked innocently.

"No, only if you wanted to. Why?" Esme became curious extremely quickly.

"Just that I'm busy this afternoon and I didn't want to just ditch you." Esme was puzzled by his continuous lack of detail.

"Busy? Doing what?" Lemongrab smiled and peered up at Esme. His sarcastic glare was enough to prompt Esme to the right conclusion. "Do you have another date?" He nodded enthusiastically and couldn't hold back the tiny whimpers of excitement bubbling from within. "When did this happen? And why didn't you tell me soon?" Asked Esme.

"I thought about it yesterday after training, that fact that if I didn't say anything to Lemonfriend, nothing would happen. So I plucked up the courage and told him how I felt, which then lead to me being able to ask him on a proper date." Esme started to jump hyperactivity and clap her hands together like an over excited teenager.

"Yes! I knew you could do it. What did he say?"

"Not much. He was surprised, but then he said that he liked me so...it kind of all fell in to place." Lemongrab grinned about his accomplishment. It may have been small to others, but to him it was a giant step in the right direction. "We're meeting at The White Horse for a drink." Esme gave him a confused glance.

"The White Horse?"

"Yeah, it's a small pub. We past it on Friday. It seemed really nice, not like the other pubs."

They finished the stretch but Esme was still curious about what happened. She also wanted to tease him more about his feelings for Lemonfriend. She knew exactly how.

"So, you're properly dating then?" Lemongrab screwed up his nose, to show he was perplexed.

"We haven't been on one proper date yet, but hopefully." Esme rolled her eyes. She knew they were going to be fine.

"Well, I just thought that now you are dating, those dreams of yours should stop." Lemongrab snapped his head round to glare at Esme with his wide, shocked eyes. His cheeks blushed red and he frowned slightly to show his discomfort.

"Can we not talk about that please, I'm already embarrassed enough and you have barely said anything." Esme giggled at the red lemonhead.

"It's true though, you should stop dreaming about it soon."

"Let's hope." Lemongrab took a drink from his water bottle, whilst Esme grinned evilly to herself. She knew what to say to make him really blush.

"They should become reality instead." Lemongrab almost choked on his water. She laughed hysterically. "Oh come on, it's naturally going to happen."

"What? That's 'naturally' weird." Joked Lemongrab.

"Weird? What you been dreaming about?" Esme teased him more. Lemongrab blushed yet again and rolled his eyes at the childish girl. "I'm only joking. Now come on we need to start training so you have time to get back and get ready for your first date." She winked towards her blushing friend, before she jogged towards the middle of the ground, with Lemongrab closely following her.

They had been training for around an hour and a half. Both of them were gasping breathlessly after a hard session. Sweats streamed down their heads and on to their once clean shirts. Luckily, the temperature of the weather had been gradually dropping so the training was becoming less and less strenuous. Walking back to the bench, Lemongrab felt a strange sensation rise up from within him. Once again his nerves began to consume him mind and body, making it impossible to relax. He became tight-lipped and shaky from his overwhelming fears. Esme noticed how recessive he had become and knew that it was linked to his up and coming date. "You ok Lemongrab? You've gone awfully quiet." Lemongrab turn to display his nervous expression.

"Just nervous I guess." Lemongrab continued to pack up his things while Esme patted him gently on his back.

"You'll be fine. You have done it once already. Although it wasn't a proper 'date', you were alone with him so... It counts." She gave him one last smile of encouragement before he began his short trip back to him room. He felt so nervous at this point, his legs felt like jelly. He couldn't walk in a straight line. He was puzzled as to why he was acting like this. Esme was right. He had done something like this before with him; the only difference now is that they know of each other's feelings. It could even progress quicker today. Alas, he couldn't help the tsunami of fear washing over him as he entered his chambers. He threw down his bag on the chair near by and let out a long, deep sigh. He glanced in the mirror to check his appearance. His forehead was still shiny from sweat, his top had dark patches and not to forget the stench coming off of him. No denying it, he was in desperate need of a shower; going on a date like this is unattractive. Or even unacceptable. So with haste, he undressed himself and clambered in to the shower. Scrubbing all over, he made sure no patch of skin was left untouched by the soapy lather.

Time was speedily ticking by. On the clock it read 1:45. In a mere 15 minutes, he was going to see Lemonfriend. The only person who could make his heart skip a beat. The only person he has ever loved. What if he ruined the date? He could mess up his future with him by one stupid move. He had to be cautious, or he can kiss his relationship with Lemonfriend goodbye. Although his mind was overflowing with negativity, he kept himself focused on reality. He peered in to his mirror for one last time. He wore a light grey t-shirt which had splashed of dark grey to stop it being one block colour. He also had his black knee length shorts with his normal leather belt and he topped it off with his black sneakers. He was ready, but his mind didn't let him relax. A load of 'what if' questions bombarded his brain. Like what if he upset him? Or lost his temper? No. He won't let that happen again. Never.

Just as he left through the door and was about to lock it, he felt a gentle tap on the shoulder. "Where are you off to?" Said the mysterious voice. Lemongrab turned rapidly, but he had nothing to fear. It was only princess bubblegum.

"I'm off out." He replied. PB smiled sweetly towards her shy creation. He had become recessive around her. He can't tell her the truth.

"Where?" He felt his cheeks heat up at an alarming rate. How was he go into dig himself out of this. "Are you going with Esme." Lemongrab finally relaxed slightly.

"Yeah, we were going to try that pub near by, the White horse."

"Oh, I've been there. It's very nice there, you should love it." PB grinned once again before turning her body to walk in the opposite direction. "Well you should go. Don't keep her waiting." PB waved to him as she departed from his presents. He sighed a deep sigh of relief. He had dodged the 'parental' bullet and was free to meet Lemonfriend.

On the way through town, he had noticed how alive the streets had become with candy citizens. They rushed around from stale to stale, buying the newest and freshest products. Many were laughing and chatting with each other. Happiness spread throughout the town, the like of which Lemongrab had never seen before. He even spotted some of his own lemon citizens, enjoying life with others and playfully mingling. Everyone was too busy in their own small world to notice Lemongrab, however he still felt uncomfortable, so decided to take a trip around the back of the shops to avoid the crowd.

He was nearing his destination when up ahead he heard strange music and what sounded like a basketball being bounced against the wall. He investigated further and discovered three small candy boys hanging out together by the back of a restaurant. One was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. The other two were sat on a large dustbin with a stereo placed in between them, which was blasting out weird sounding music that Lemongrab had never heard before. The beats were almost electronic. It only dawned on him who it was when the boy standing called to his friend. "Blombo! Change the song! This one sucks!" He yelled as he tried to make himself heard over the blaring beats. Blombo? Where had he heard that name before? All of a sudden, he realised that the children standing up ahead of him were the kids he traumatised with his reconditioning chamber. How he wished he never pulled the lever, but he can't change the past. Instead he wanted to put it right. He took a one large breathe to relax himself before blatantly strolling down the alley towards them. Within moments, one of the boys, Toughy, caught sight of him.

"Yo Jamaica, pass me the ball, someone is coming towards us." Jamaica turned his head to scan the body which was approaching them expeditiously.

"Wait, ain't that Lemongrease?" He said with a shocked tone. All three boys whipped their heads round to glare at Lemongrab. As he speedily got nearer, Jamaica steadied his hand and readied himself to throw the ball in to Lemongrab's head. Just like he did with Jake when he wandered past them. Honestly though, that time he did it because Jake was 'old', this time it was because he was scared. Blombo turned the music down so Jamaica could concentrate. He chucked the ball as hard as he could and as fast as he could, but it was hopeless. Lemongrab's training with Esme meant his reflects were astonishingly fast and he caught the flying ball with ease. The boys gasped and bunched together to protect one another. "Stay away from us lemon man!" Shouted Jamaica.

"Yeah we can take you out!" Blombo joined in with the yelling, but before long, Lemongrab revealed his intentions.

"Calm down boys, I'm not here to hurt you." The boys were amazed. They knew it was Lemongrab, he and Lemonfriend are the only tall lemon citizens, but he sounded extremely different and looked like a different person. "I just want to talk"

"Why should we trust you?" Exclaimed Toughy.

"I know you might not trust me, or ever like me, but I can understand that." Lemongrab let his head drop slightly as he present a woeful expression. "I'm truly sorry for what I did. I know a simple apology will never make up for what I did to you, but... I don't know, you deserved an apology so I had to say something." He started to gently roll the basketball he still had in his hand back and forth to distract himself. All three boys stayed silent, gobsmacked by the dejected Lemongrab who stood before them. A couple of seconds later, Lemongrab snapped back to reality and realised he still had their ball. "Oops, sorry. Here." He agilely threw the ball back to them, allowing it to bounce twice before Jamaica caught it.

"Uhh, thanks lemongre... Lemongrab." Said a slightly nervous Jamaica. Lemongrab smiled faintly at the skittish boys. He peered over to the stereo and glanced down to the CD case lying next to it.

"Mind if I check out the tunes?" Asked Lemongrab.

"Uhh, sure. We found it along with others in a box. It must have been buried for ages." Lemongrab picked up the case. It still had specks of dirty on the outside, but surprisingly the CD played really well. He wiped off some soggy mud and read the title. He struggled to read it as he didn't have his glasses. He could just make out the name of the artist, which was written in massive font.

"Skrillex? It must have been from before the great mushroom war, because I have never heard of this band or whatever it is."

"You can keep it I guess, we found plenty more." Suggested Blombo.

"Nah, it's ok, it's not really my taste." Curiosity fled over Toughy.

"What is your taste? There could be some in the box." He said pleasantly.

"I'm in to more old rock kinda things." He replied. Suddenly Lemongrab remember that he had an important date. He glanced down to his watch. 2:07! "Sorry boys, I will look another time, I'm late for something." Lemongrab waved goodbye to the boys, who gentle waved back, still dumbstruck by what just happened. Lemongrab was nice to them? Was it even him? Who ever it was, the boys had a new found feeling of respect to him.

Lemongrab reached the end of the alley which opened out straight to the White horse. He sprinted across the road to reach the pub door. Before entering he fixed himself up slightly and calmly walked through the door. The pub was brighter than he expected it to be. The bar was a funny 'U' shape and had spirits lined up along the wall. There were four pumps at each of the four stations. The walls had light, hazel coloured wood panels stuck on them, covering them fully. However some walls were just pure white, with only the help of pictures to bring colour to the bland, block colour. Tables were spread all around divided in to family tables, couple tables or single tables. They were all partly covered with white, cotton cloth, had coasters for dripping drinks and a menu propped up between a salt and pepper shaker. The atmosphere in the pub was surprisingly welcoming and warm. No one was bothered by Lemongrab's presents as he wandered over to the table were Lemonfriend was sat. He had chosen a cubical table with the comfiest sofas built in to the wall. The privacy was emphasised by the fact that Lemonfriend was in the far corner of the pub, away from the gossiping crowd. Lemongrab took a deep breathe in and within moments he was sat opposite his love, who had distracted himself with his phone. "Hey, sorry I'm late I got caught up twice." Confessed Lemongrab.

"Hey, don't worry about that. Besides you're here now." Lemonfriend turned his phone off, crossed his arms and lent forward on to his forearms. "So, what do you like to drink?" Lemongrab carefully took a drinks menu and scanned the piece of card.

"I don't know. What were you going to get?" He asked.

"I don't know either." Joked Lemonfriend. "Let's narrow it down. Alcoholic or non-alcoholic?" Lemongrab gave a tiny giggle as he thought about his decision.

"I suppose I wouldn't mind an alcoholic beverage. You can surprise me." He teased. Lemonfriend smiled sweetly before rising from his seat to order their drinks. This gave Lemongrab the opportunity to collect his feelings together and focus on the date. Not his nerves. He placed the menu back between the salt shakers and sighed deeply to calm his feelings. Leaning back in to the red, cushioned box seat, he scanned the area around him. Pinned on the wall, there was a painting of a man on horse back. He was extremely well dressed and looked like he was of royal decent. The painting had a message at the bottom, which read 'remember always the knight of Gilford'. The face was slightly recognisable to him, but Lemongrab had no clue what his name was. Lemongrab glanced back to Lemonfriend who was standing patiently at the bar. He was chatting away to the bartender while he got their drinks. A small smile started to spread across Lemongrab's face. Lemonfriend was under a bright light, which made his skin light up just like in the dream he had. His eyes sparkled and dazzled Lemongrab. He could not think of anywhere else he'd rather be than right there at that moment in time.

Soon, Lemonfriend returned with the drinks and placed them gingerly on the table; one in front of Lemongrab and the other in his own place. Lemongrab thanked Lemonfriend and peered down to the drink. It was in a tall pint class, which had six sides with soft, smooth edges. The content was of a pale pink complexion and had 2 ice cubes floating inside. "Never had one of these before." He said sweetly. "What's in it?" Lemongrab picked up the drink to subtly smell the liquid.

"I didn't know what to get you, so I got you a peach cider. Is that ok?" He asked nervously.

"Fine with me, just don't give this to Esme, she'll go crazy." He giggles to himself and glanced up to Lemonfriend. He looked very confused for some reason. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Sorry if I sound stupid but... Why should Esme go crazy?" Lemongrab chuckled once again and placed his glass down.

"You do realise her species is peach, right?" Lemonfriend's eyes widened with shock, whilst his cheeks flashed red.

"Thank glob you told me! I could have done something stupid otherwise." Lemonfriend lent forward and rested his forehead in his hand.

"Don't worry about it. Now you know." Lemongrab took a sip at his drink. The moment the pure drop of cider touched his tongue, he was overwhelmed by exotic flavour. Each one made a different feeling on his pallet. Some where cool and soothing, others made his throat feel hot. As well as that, the peach complemented the cider perfectly. It was the best drink he had ever tasted. "Whoa, this is delicious." He said ecstatically.

"Really? I'm glad you like it." Replied Lemonfriend as he lifted his head off of this hand and straightened his back. A tender smile grew on his face. "What would you usually have?" He asked.

"Me? I'm easy. Usually I would have a beer of some kind, depends on the occasion. What about you?"

"Gin and tonic, beer or this usually." Lemongrab nodded in agreement. They both took a swig of their drinks before continuing the conversation. "I'm curious. May I ask you something?" Asked Lemonfriend. Lemongrab finished his mouthful and nodded towards him. "Have you ever been in a relationship before?" Both lemons felt slightly mortified. Lemonfriend was embarrassed to asked and Lemongrab was embarrassed to answer.

"Uh, no, so I'm probably going to be rubbish at this whole relationship thing." He joked. Lemonfriend chuckled contently.

"You won't, don't worry." Lemongrab felt compelled to ask Lemonfriend the same question, as his curiosity flared.

"What about you? Have you had a relationship before?" Lemongrab noticed how recessive he had become after he said that. Almost upset.

"One time... A long time ago." Lemongrab was almost shocked by the reply he got. He never predicted that.

"Seriously? Who with? When? How?" Lemongrab felt concerned for Lemonfriend, due to how shy he became. He almost sounded jealous

"It was when you were taken away. I...really don't want to talk about it right now." He had become very distressed, which made Lemongrab worry immensely. "Let's just say, he didn't turn out to be the nicest of people or most...trustworthy."

"Oh, I see." He said while swirling the contents of his drink. "I'm sorry for bringing that up." He confessed.

"You don't have to apologise. I asked the question in the first place." Said Lemonfriend, who was now a lot perkier. "Besides it's in the past, so there's nothing to do other than to forget about it."

"You're right." Replied Lemongrab, whose mood had risen again. "Enough about the past, we should be concentrating on the present and being here with each other." Lemongrab's voice had become smoother and flirtation. Lemonfriend blushed dramatically and giggled. Lemongrab's voice sent a pleasant shiver straight down his back and his soft, engaging eyes were enough to make Lemonfriend melt from the attraction.

"In that case..." He said smoothly. "I will ask you one more question." Lemongrab waited in quiet anticipation. "What made you attracted to you?" Lemongrab thought to himself about how on earth he would word all his confusing feelings together to even begin to explain.

"How can I begin to explain?" He began his long list. "Short answer is...everything. Your laugh, your smile, your attitude..." The more things Lemongrab mentioned, the more shy Lemonfriend became. He would have never imagined someone liking every aspect of him, but he was immediately proven wrong. "But I think the whole reason you are so important to me and why you make me crazy is because you were the only person to like me for being me. We clicked from the moment he laid eyes on each other. I don't think I was ever happy before you came in to my pathetic existence. You completed me." Lemonfriend was stunned. His heart felt as heavy as concrete due to the emotions overflowing inside of him. Every word Lemongrab said to him made his face a deeper shade of red.

"Wow...I never thought that that would be your answer. I'm touched." His mind had turned in to a blank canvas. He had no clue what say.

"It's how I feel so... Anyway, what about you? What attracted you to me? Also when did you start to like me?" Lemonfriend took a tiny sip of his drink a grinned subtly to himself.

"All the same and more. As for when I fell for you...don't laugh." Lemongrab giggled slightly at the bashful lemon man sat opposite him.

"I won't." He promised.

"I've like you since the start. Everything about you I loved. Then you changed and that's when my affection stopped. But when I saw you in that room, after the 13 months, all those feelings returned and they were stronger than ever. I only came to terms with my returned feelings when Esme spoke to me." Lemongrab snapped his focus away from Lemonfriend's love confession to the mention of Esme's name.

"Wait, Esme? He said with a surprised tone.

"Yeah, she came to see me after your training. It was before the evening party with PB. Did she not tell you?"

"No. She didn't say a word." Lemongrab became tense and wondered what Esme told him. "You are here because you want to be here, right? You're not just here because Esme said to."

"Of course I'm here out of choice!" Replied Lemonfriend in haste. "Esme just gave me 'encouragement', that's all." Lemongrab relaxed his panicking body and took a big gulp of drink. "Now, let's forget all the bad thoughts and focus on the here and now. Like you said." Lemongrab nodded in agreement. "So, tell me. Written any new songs lately?" mocked Lemonfriend.

"Nope, I want to though." This was partially a lie, as Lemongrab had been working on a song, but it wasn't even close to being ready. Also he had written it for Lemonfriend so wanted it to be a surprise. He kept the secret locked up in him mind and continued the conversation.

"I still want to hear you play. No getting around it." stated a cheery Lemonfriend.

"I'm not even any good." Lemonfriend raised an eyebrow slowly, which caused Lemongrab to chuckle incoherently. "Maybe one day you can catch me singing to myself." He said sarcastically.

"You sing as well? You're full of surprises!" Lemonfriend teased him further.

"Well, again I'm not the best but I've been told when I do it I don't realise I am." Explained Lemongrab.

"So I could leave you on your own and you would start sing to yourself?"

"Probably." Lemonfriend presented an evil grinned and began to stand up as a joke. "Please don't though, I'd be so embarrassed." Once again, Lemongrab began to chuckle.

"That's the point." Lemonfriend winked with his left eyeas and he sat down, causing Lemongrab to blush. "You look adorable when you blush."

"I'm not blushing." Said Lemongrab as he hid his red face. "I'm not the adorable one either, that would be you." Lemongrab flirtatiously peered in to lemonfriend's eyes, as they began to connect with each other even more as the date progressed.

A couple of drinks later, they decided to leave the pub after their insightful conversation during their date. They split the money that needed to be paid and strolled quietly out of the ancient pub. Neither of them wanted the date to end. However, because they both didn't have plans for the rest of the day, they decided to stay with each other a little longer, so they were going to take a detour around the castle and use the back entrance, once they got there. Not only would this cover them from curious citizens, it would also stop them being spotted by PB. It wasn't the right time to mention it to her yet, so they agreed to keep quiet. For now.

They began their walk around the back of the shops, the only problem was the pup gang were still hanging around the back of the restaurant.

"Oh no, the pup gang. We should turn around." Pleaded Lemonfriend.

"Don't worry, I talked to them earlier it's all cool now." With Lemongrab's brave encouragement both the lemon men started to proudly strut down the alleyway. Jamaica caught sight of Lemongrab.

"Hey look whose back." He said animatedly. The other boys glanced round to wave and smile to Lemongrab as he approached them casually.

"Hey boys, still listening to the same junk?" He joked. Lemonfriend nudged him in the side to make him stop, He was a little nervous around the boys thanks to their reputation, but they surprised him when he giggled at Lemongrab's sarcastic question.

"Nah, some of the songs were ok, the others sucked." Confessed Blombo. "Now we're listening to this." He picked up a smashed CD case and gave it to Lemongrab. He still didn't have his glasses. He though to himself that he should really get contacts of carry them around. Nevertheless, he peered down at the case, which he held an arms length away from his eyes. Lemonfriend felt pitiful for him so read the title for him, thanks to him perfect vision.

"Who's Eminem?" Lemongrab cheekily peered round to Lemonfriend for making him look like an idiot.

"We're not sure. We found a whole box full of CD that we have never heard of." Toughy showed the box to the lemon men. "By the way, we think you'll like this one, lemon man. You said you liked rock and these guys can really shred the guitar" Joked Toughy. Lemongrab gently took the CD out of him tiny, candy hands and squinted his eyes to read the CD cover.

"Thanks boys, I will listen to it later. We best be off. Take care of yourselves." They all cheerfully waved their goodbyes to each other, as the lemonheads started their walk back to the castle again.

They neared the back entrance to the castle at a sluggish pace. However it wasn't long until they had to part their ways, which neither of them wanted to do. The short time they had shared was amazing and gleeful. There was no doubting it; they were on a straight, bright road to a fantastic relationship. They adored the company of each other already and they were only together for a few hours. They walked through the rusty, old door as they both journeyed to their private rooms. Lemongrab wanted as much time with Lemonfriend as possible, so offered to walk him back to his room. They continued to chat continuously as they wandered through the wide, maze-like corridors. The light clawing its way through the window, rested on their yellow skin instantly brightening it. Lemongrab could feel the warmth from the sun heating his tough skin. As well as that, he could feel warmth brewing inside of his heart thanks to the pleasant afternoon with his love. Sadly it was short lived as they steadily reached Lemonfriend's room door.

They stood outside while they uttered their goodbyes.

"Thank you Lemongrab. The time we had was wonderful. Would you like to do it again?" Asked Lemonfriend.

"Of course I would silly." Exclaimed Lemongrab. "When would you like to meet next?"

"Is in 30 minutes too short notice?" Teased Lemonfriend. He edged closer to Lemongrab. There was a mere half a metre separating the two.

"Ha-ha, nothing is too short notice for you." Lemongrab voice was alluring and smooth. The voice that makes Lemonfriend go crazy. Lemongrab had also edged forward so their bodies were now just 30 centimetres apart.

"That's kind of you to say, but how about we make it Wednesday? At 12 o'clock? You can pick what we do this time." Questioned Lemonfriend.

"Sounds great." Lemongrab was swift to reply.

"In that case, I'll see you then." They both began grin at each other. However in that moment, they captured each other's loving gaze. They were trapped. Unable to look away. They knew what they wanted. They bit their lips gently before beginning to close the gap between them. Their lips were an inch apart, when out of the blue, PB could be heard walking and whistling up the corridor. She was heading right their way. "Dam it PB! Quick you should go, she will get suspicion." Lemongrab nodded and began to jog down the never ending corridor. He turned for one last look at his lover.

"I will see you Wednesday." He whispered.

"12 o'clock. See you then." As soon as Lemongrab's body was out of sight, PB appear from around the corner.

"Ah, Lemonfriend, I was looking for you." He slowly turned towards PB. "Are you ok? You look dazed." He chuckled to himself. He had no idea Lemongrab had the ability to make him look that way.

"No I'm fine, what's up."

"I could use another hand with an experiment. Do you mind?" Queried the princess.

"Course not; I'd be happy to help." With that, the princess lead the way back to her laboratory, leaving Lemonfriend to trail behind and every so often he would turn his head to see if Lemongrab was still there. He was not. Their time together was officially over. Until next time.

His bed let out a quiet shriek as he threw his limb body on to the fluffy mattress. His body bounced almost 3 times before it came to a halt and he let every muscle in his body relax and sink in to the comfortable bed. A gigantic sign escaped his lips as he closed his heavy eyes. He could not get rid of the humongous smile spreading from cheek to cheek. Nor could he stop the overwhelming feeling of warmth from rising out of his stomach and heating his whole being. Whether it was the alcohol or love, he didn't mind. It made him feel cosy and peaceful. But one thing was bugging him. The last moment he shared with Lemonfriend, they were definitely going to kiss if PB didn't show up. In some ways, Lemongrab was glad she did. Yes he would love to be that close to him and have his dream come true but there was one problem...he has never kissed anyone before. If it did happen he could have messed something up and caused Lemonfriend to feel uncomfortable or confused. He needed to discover how to kiss amazingly before Wednesday. He had but 3 days to learn something you usually learn over 6 years. He decided to go to the only person who would understand him, other than Lemonfriend; Esme. He leapt up from his bed and left his room with haste

Arriving at Esme's door, he could hear rock music obviously coming from inside the room, meaning she was definitely in. He knocked with all his might so he could be heard over the blasting beats. The volume of the music decreased rapidly. He heard small footsteps becoming louder and louder as she neared the door to reveal the interrupting perpetrator. "Oh, hey LG. Come on in. By the way, sorry about the mess." They both headed back in to the sweet smelling, bright, unorganised room. "I thought you were someone telling me to turn my music down."

"Ha, wouldn't blame them." He teased. Before he could get another word out, Esme sprung to attention and began to interrogate Lemongrab about his date.

"Oh, wait. How did the date go?" She asked curiously.

"Really well actually, but that's why I need your helpful advice." Esme was befuddled for a few seconds, however Lemongrab then explained further. "Can you teach me how to kiss?" Esme was slightly stunned by the request from her friend.

"Uhh...ok but you can't really 'teach' that sort of thing. Just like you can't teach 'tier 12' and above, you need to discover it instead." Explained Esme. Lemongrab lazily rolled his eyes. "Wait, did you kiss him?"

"No. Luckily." Replied Lemongrab.

"What do you mean luckily?"

"I have no idea what I'm doing, if we did kiss then I could have messed something up." Esme became curious, like a policeman searching a crime scene.

"What happened?" She asked gently.

"We were at his door and we were making new plans and saying goodbye. It is kind of a blur from there. "Lemongrab leaned casually on the wall and grinned contently to himself as he reminisced."I just remember staring in to him eyes and moving forward. Before we could…kiss, Princess Bubblegum was coming round the corner so I had to run." Esme was starting to understand the situation but still needed a few piece of information.

"Why did you run?" She questioned.

"We don't want PB or anyone to know about us, at least not until we are official." Esme raised her brow to the blushing lemonhead.

"You almost kissed, how it that not official?" She continued to mock his words.

"Maybe, but we didn't actually." Lemongrab was quick to change the subject back to his original desire. "Anyway argue more about that later. Are you sure you can't help me? I don't want to mess this up." He gave her a pitiful and desperate look, which caused her to give in.

"Ok I will help you as much as I can." She promptly sauntered over to her table and pulled out a chair for Lemongrab. She placed it opposite her bed and sat herself down gingerly on to the soft, cloud-like mattress. "Take a seat this could take a while." She stated. Lemongrab wandered over sluggishly and blonked his lethargic body down on the cushioned seat. "Have you ever kissed someone before?" Lemongrab calmly shook his head.

"I don't think a pillow counts." He snorted at his bad joke. Esme just peered up at him in a beguiled manner. "Don't worry about it." He said as he rolled his eyes and relaxed in to the chair.

"Whatever weirdo." He narrowed his eyes at her, but at the same time, he smiled pleasantly, signalling that he found it 'ironic'. She was weirder than him, how could she say that. Meanwhile Esme was using all of her effort and mind power to piece together what to tell him. How do you explain something like this? "Right, umm. Start slow. Just touch lips and before you know it you get in to it. You can then begin to move your lips and 'massage' his." Lemongrab felt extremely awkward. It was like getting 'the talk' from your parents. As for Esme, she to felt slightly uncomfortable but he asked for help so that's what she will do. "Once you are both comfortable you then go on to the last stage; tongues." Lemongrab screwed up his nose to show is discomfort. "Just one tip about that. Don't choke him! Just a bit at first and see how he reacts. Basically if you just mirror him, you won't go wrong." Esme finally finished her awkward lecture, leaving Lemongrab slightly beguiled with the information thrown at him.

"I...think I got it. Slow and steady then work it up."

"Yeah slow and steady then you can work him up if you know what I mean." Esme winked at Lemongrab who was blushing furiously and rolled his eyes sarcastically. "It's just about finding out what you both like." It suddenly dawned on her. "Wait, why are you so nervous about a kiss? You're both new at this."

"No we're not." Esme glanced at him in a puzzled way. "He has been with someone before. I don't know how long or who with, he didn't go in to detail. All I know is that it was after I was taken away and it wasn't a happy ending." Esme sighed jadedly at the woeful lemon man.

"That doesn't mean he has kissed. They could have been together for just a week."

"We've been together less than a week and we almost did." Confessed Lemongrab.

"You've known him longer." She said eagerly. "Also what you two have between you is pure love." He glared at her in a confused manner. "The way you described what happened before the 'almost kiss' just shows how much you like each other. Honestly it's adorable." Teased Esme. Lemongrab gave a subtle smile and peered down to the floor to hide his red cheeks. "Anyway, you should get back; the staffs are coming round soon with dinner." Stated Esme. They both stood up from their seats and paced over to the door. As Esme opened the wooden door, she gave him one last word of encouragement. "It will be fine. Just be natural and everything will go to plan. I promise." Lemongrab strolled out of the door and turned to say his last words to her for the day.

"Thanks for helping and putting up with me." He teased

"That's ok. And remember, if in doubt between now and your next date, just practise on a pillow." He chuckled at the remark made by his friend. He wished he never said anything now, but he could not change it.

"Thanks I guess. See you tomorrow morning." He left her presents in a satisfactory mood. He felt a lot more prepared now for his next date with Lemonfriend. Now we hopes that they kiss. He loves him. He wanted to be close. But he is going to have to wait until Wednesday to put his new 'skill' to the test.

He continued to be chirpy until the sun set over the candy Kingdom, ending yet another day. Maybe one of the best days of Lemongrab's life.


	10. Chapter 9-Ensnared by a loving embrace

The sun was scattering it's scorching hot light beams on yet another sweet day in the kingdom of sugar and spice. Esme had taken Lemongrab out of their usual training grounds and proposed that they should go exploring again through the woods. It had been a while since they've gone tree running and the shade given by the trees would be blissful. Once again, Esme lead the way through the dense, blossomed forest. They were leaping from branch to branch like tigers in the jungle. Within moments, they had journeyed near to the centre of candy trees, so decided to drop down to the forest floor and rest for a while before going back. So without hesitation, they regrouped at the bottom of a gigantic candy floss tree, which had small, sweet birds sat singing their subtle songs. "Have you been practising? You've really improved." Her words were parted by deep inhales and exhales. As were Lemongrab's.

"No, just a fast learner I guess." He grinned playfully. "It's nice around here; Quiet and away from the hectic Kingdom." Esme briskly nodded in agreement. She peered round at the wondrous nature surrounding her, like it was protecting her from the sharp blades of heat emitting from the sun.

"It is stunning. I love being surrounded by wildlife and natural things." Lemongrab presented her with a friendly smile. However his attention was expeditiously draw away from Esme and his surroundings when he detected the sound of gallons of water gushing into to a river. "I mean I could..." Esme was quickly shushed by Lemongrab, who was trying to pinpoint the location of the sound. "Don't you shush me!" She exclaimed. He shushed her again.

"Listen. Can you hear that?" Esme concentrated hard. Her ears finally picked up the sound enacting from within the forest. "What's that?" She whispered. Lemongrab was looking around frantically for gaps in the forest where the river could be. He allowed his hearing to guide him further in to the forest to locate the thrashing water. Esme followed on in fear of getting lost on her own.

A couple of minutes later, the incoherent noise was now at its peak volume. It could be heard by all. Lemongrab searched rapidly for the source. He twisted in and out of the branches which tugged on his shirt until he came to an opening covered by a single branch which had bloomed all of its green leaves. There it was. The mystery sound was in fact a medium sized waterfall throwing the clear liquid off of its edge. Lemongrab was speechless. The pure, green grass with random flowers planted in it. The clear waterfall and the formation of the trees that looked like a chuck of forest was stolen. It was an exact replica of the place in his dream. The dream he had with Lemonfriend in it. Their 'first date'. Esme followed closely behind him. He heard her gasp intensely at the natural serenity and sublime organisms that harboured the area. They stepped closer and closer to the waters edge, still scanner the area around them. "I found it." Uttered Lemongrab. He was just loud enough for Esme to hear.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"It was in one of my dreams. It's so weird, it looks exactly the same." Lemongrab was slightly dumbfounded by the experience. Was he dreaming or did that happen? "Lemonfriend took me here in the dream the first time we were going to meet." Esme raised her eyebrow cheekily.

"Don't tell me you started having sex here." She said sarcastically. Lemongrab whipped his round to glare at her.

"No! ...Just kissed." Lemongrab began to blush furiously causing Esme to giggle at her embarrassed friend.

"Man, next time you meet Lemonfriend you just need to snog him. Your craving for him is painful even for me." Teased Esme. Lemongrab chuckled quietly at her before turning around to stroll back with her.

"Believe me I want to do that, but I think just grabbing him and 'snogging' would leave him a little perplexed." He confessed.

"Or hungry for more." Esme's back-chat amused Lemongrab as they began their discombobulated journey back to the kingdom. Every tree looked the same to Esme, but luckily Lemongrab still possessed a photographic memory and was able to remember the way easily. This gave him an idea. If he could find this place again, he should take Lemonfriend there on Wednesday. It would be their special place of peace. Lemonfriend said that he didn't have anywhere to relax away from the kingdom, apart from his room. But now that Lemongrab has found this paradise, it can be their place to relax with each other. It was a perfect plan. He couldn't wait to reveal it on their next date.

The early morning glow of the sun started another day in the kingdom. It was the day Lemongrab had been eagerly waiting for. He could hardly wait to show Lemonfriend the beauty and serenity of their new special place. Their peaceful haven. He practically shot out of bed, like he was fired from a gun, to the bathroom for a shower and get ready for the day. Not one part of his body was left unwashed or unattended. He brushed every single one of his teeth with precision, using the tiny, stiff fibres to attack any plaque lurking in his mouth. Once again, the room was overflowing with fragrance that was spread over his clean, dry body. Finally he was satisfied with his hygiene, so he strolled over to his wardrobe to take a gander at the fresh clothes hung neatly in storage. It was incredibly hot today. Even though they would be partially in the shade, it was sweltering even through the protection of the tree. As a result he wore black, knee length shorts, a deep ocean blue, short-sleeved shirt which had a black chequered pattern and his usual sneakers with ankle high socks. He was looking pretty good and set for the day. He was peering in to the mirror and adjusting his appearance, when there was an inaudible knock at the door. "Come in." He projected. The door slowly opened and in waddled peppermint butler, doing his daily rounds of delivering a succulent breakfast.

"Good morning your earlness. I have your breakfast as usual." The butler placed the silver platter on his oak wood table and revealed the content. Sat on the plate was 2 slices of seeded bread along with jam, butter and chocolate spreads to bring flavour to the bland bread. As well as that, there were fresh fruits and drinks that accompanied the rest of the breakfast perfectly. A delicious way to start the day,

"Thank you Mr Peppermint." He remembered he needed to ask the butler for a favour; however he feared that he would become suspicious. "Hey, Peppermint butler?" The loyal butler turned and smiled gently at the earl. "Is it possible for me to get in the kitchen this morning? Around quarter past 11." The butler raised his left eyebrow and began to question the earl's intentions.

"Of course you can my lord, but may I ask why?" Lemongrab suddenly felt hot in the face.

"Me and Esme want to take some food and drinks when we explore, you know, to keep our energy leaves up." The butler peered at Lemongrab's outfit. It was not his usual choice of dress for exercise. It was too smart-casual. Pep But began to suspect the earls intensions. Thanks to the earl past, the butler did not trust him fully. Nevertheless, he left the earls interests unquestioned and politely replied to the earl

"I understand your earlness. The kitchen is free. It shouldn't be too crowded at that point I think. You would've just missed the lunch rush." The butler placed his small, pearl white hands behind his back and bowed. "If that is all master Lemongrab, I must get back to my rounds."

"Of course, sorry. Have a good day." Lemongrab gave him an amiable smile.

"You too your earlness." Said the butler as he strolled out of the door and carefully closed it behind him. Lemongrab was left alone again. Alone with his fearful thoughts of people getting suspicious. But at least for now he was in the clear. Whilst tucking into to his breakfast, Lemongrab pictured the scene with just the two of them, in each other's company again. It made his belly feel as light as a feather.

Lemongrab entered the kitchen with caution, as to not startle the staff. Luckily, the only person there was Esme who was filling her drink before practise. He sighed a deep sigh of relief and waltzed in to the kitchen to continue with his plan. "Hey Esme, are you ok?" She turned around briskly to greet her friend.

"Oh hey Lemongrab. I'm fine thanks, what about you? Nervous for your date?" She asked cheekily.

"Not as much, but still a little anxious." Esme screwed on her bottle lid and wandered over to his side. She was curious about what he was doing. He had brought a basket and had lined it with a red and white, chequered cloth. He also had a yellow, cotton blanket rolled up and put to one side of the lightly coloured, wooden basket. Lemongrab turned around from the fridge with 2 apples, some grapes and 2 cold drinks of water in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Asked Esme who was puzzled by Lemongrab.

"Preparing for my date. He said I could choose what to do, so I'm taking him to that place we found and we can eat lunch there." Lemongrab continued to pack the basket with two small cupcakes and small, crunchy nibbles.

"Oh how romantic." Teased Esme. As she examined the content of the basket more thoroughly, she was amused to find a bag of mints and the Chapstick she gave him. "I see you want to be prepared." Lemongrab turned to Esme, who held the Chapstick in her delicate but dangerous hands. He blushed furiously.

"Better to be have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it." Said Lemongrab smugly.

"Oh you'll need it, I promise. I'm just surprised you kept it." Lemongrab wandered over to the basket, which was finally packed and ready.

"Well, I would feel bad if i didn't use something you gave me." He stated.

"I'll keep that in mind for in the future." Mocked Esme. Lemongrab retrieved the Chapstick from her and put it in him pocket. Esme started to stroll out of the room, but not before she wished him luck. "Have a good time dude. Hope you get your kiss." Lemongrab glanced round to her with fear in his eyes.

"Shhh, someone will hear you." He whispered.

"No ones around dummy." She rolled her eyes and waved once more the Lemongrab. She disappeared around the door frame leaving Lemongrab on his own. Again.

The massive tower clock struck 12 o'clock. Lemongrab was outside the gates to the Kingdom, eagerly awaiting Lemonfriend's arrival. Thankfully, Lemongrab didn't have to wait anxiously as Lemonfriend arrived dead on the hour; just as the clock bell stopped chiming. Lemonfriend was quick to notice the basket and the rolled-up blanket Lemongrab had tucked under his arm. "I've only just seen you and I'm already intrigued." He said in a teasing manner.

"You should be." Lemongrab chuckled quietly. "I have a surprise for you. Follow me and I will show you." Lemongrab began to lead Lemonfriend through the woods of cotton candy trees and bushes of pure sugar. They twisted in and out between plants of all kinds. Slowly the scenery began to turn green and organic. Trees that grew before the great mushroom war were starting to dominant the forest. Everything was natural and peaceful. Before they reached the exact spot, Lemongrab halted the trek. "Before we go further, do you mind if I put this on you?" Draped across his hand, he held his black tie, acting as a make-shift blindfold.

"Sure, but why?" Asked a curious Lemonfriend.

"You'll soon see, I promise." Lemonfriend happily agreed to wear it and allowed Lemongrab to gentle tie the blindfold on. It all went dark for Lemonfriend. He now had to rely on his trust for Lemongrab to guide him though the puzzling maze of trees and shrubs. "No peaking." Said Lemongrab enthusiastically. They become closer and closer and to the heavenly place within the forest. Lemonfriend could hear the gushing water and tiny, tweeting birds singing their content tunes. The branches brushed against his shirt and shorts, like they were hands with gnarled fingers. Lemongrab guided Lemonfriend to the perfect spot where he would be able to see anything. "Ok we're here. You can take off your blindfold now." In haste, Lemonfriend reached round to the back of his head to undo the knot. When the blindfold was removed, he was first blinded by the shining sun attacking his eyes. However, his eyes soon adjusted meaning he was able to admire the paradise which was presented around of him. He had no words for the tranquil heaven which Lemongrab had brought him to. He had never seen greenery that was natural like this. Nor had he witnessed such a clear, clean waterfall, such as the one pouring in to the river in front of him. "Esme and I found this place a few days back. I remembered you saying you didn't have a special place for relaxing, so I thought you might like this place." Confessed an elated looking Lemongrab. Still perplexed by the natural beauty, Lemonfriend allowed his eyes to wander and take in every ounce of nature surrounding him.

"It's... just... Beautiful." He said softly. Lemongrab had placed the bright yellow blanket delicately on the ground and smoothed it out so it was flat and free from creases. The basket was sat along the edge of the blanket and in the middle so they could both get to it. Lemongrab paced over to Lemonfriend's side to admire the view along side with him.

"It's like heaven on earth, isn't it?" Said Lemongrab contently. Lemonfriend still could speak properly so simple nodding in agreement. They both took a place on the blanket, which allowed them to face the crystal-clear river. Lemonfriend sat to the right of Lemongrab and had his legs crossed, whilst Lemongrab's' were straight out in front of him, with his left knee slightly bent. He used his hand for stability, as he leaned backwards. "Do you like it here?" He asked.

"I...love it. I find it amazing how you just found a place like this." Confessed Lemonfriend.

"You'd be surprised by what you find when you explore." Out of the blue, Lemongrab had a thought. He wondered whether he should about the dream. It could either interest Lemonfriend or make him question Lemongrab's sanity. He decided to push back his negative thoughts and just trust his instincts. "This might sound crazy, but I dreamt about this before we found it. It was exactly like this. It gobsmacked me when we found this place."

"So, you're telling me every detail was like this?" Lemongrab nodded gently to reply. "Was I there?" Lemongrab suddenly felt discouraged.

"Umm... You were but how does that make a difference?" Lemonfriend's face suddenly lit up in front of Lemongrab's eyes. "What?"

"You might have had a premonition dream." He exclaimed. "Was the cosmic owl there?" His level of enthusiasm was as high as a schoolchild.

"Woah woah, slow down. I don't even know what a 'premonition' dream is." He explained.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot that you weren't around for a while." Lemonfriend began to explain the meaning of the dreams to him. "Finn told me about them after he had one. They're basically dreams which will predict future events. If you saw the cosmic owl then you defiantly had a premonition dream." Lemongrab was flustered. If these dreams were predicting the future...then were they going to kiss? Passionately? He suddenly became extremely shy and withdrawn.

"Well, I didn't see the owl so..."

"Well, is it the same so far?" Lemongrab felt his cheeks burn red.

"Yeah pretty much." To avoid embarrassment Lemongrab tried to cover up the truth about what happens in his dream. "But we arrived here and then I woke up so what I saw in the dream is over now." He lied. Lemongrab leaned forward to grab the basket packed to the brim with food and drink. He sat up and crossed his legs, like Lemonfriend, ready to begin feasting. The basket was placed in the middle and slightly in front of them when they started to dig in to the content of the basket. They each pulled off a few grapes, devoured an apple, munched on the small cupcakes and nibbled on the small candies he brought. This was all washed down with fresh, cooling water. It was almost as refreshing as jumping in the flowing river would be.

Soon, only a handful of food was left in the hazel, wooden basket. Whilst Lemonfriend was peering the other way, Lemongrab seized the opportunity to reach for his mints and get his Chapstick out of his pocket. Just in case, because if this was a premonition dream then they were going to kiss. He rummaged in the bag to pick out on of the mints, but as soon he put it on his tongue Lemonfriend turned back and spotted the bag. "What are those?" He asked innocently.

"Mint candies. Would you like one?" Lemongrab passed the bag to Lemonfriend's side to offer him the fresh sweet.

"Oh, yes please." He placed his hand in the bag and rustled it to pick out a sweet. "Thanks." Lemonfriend smiled sweetly as he placed the mint in his mouth and turned his head once more. Yet again, Lemongrab wasted no time and began to apply the Chapstick to his lemon lips. He was as quick as lightening. He hastily hid the Chapstick behind the bag of mints and put them back in to the basket. When he leant back again, he detangled his legs and allowed them to relax in front of him, like he was at the start. His left hand was supporting him while the other rested on his lap. Lemonfriend started to feel his leg go numb, so decided to get in the same position as Lemongrab, however he had both of his soft hands supporting his weight. "Mmm, these are really nice ones." He said whilst finishing the mint. "Really refreshing." Lemongrab swallowed the last of his mint to answer back to Lemonfriend.

"They are. I always have one after I eat, just to get the smell of food out of my mouth." Although this was true, his real intention was so his breathe didn't smell for their 'maybe kiss'.

"Ha, I know a few people who could learn from you."

"Who?" Asked a curious Lemongrab.

"Well, crunchy, the banana guard and..." Lemongrab joined in with the list.

"Cinnamon bun." They said this in unison, which caused them to chuckle joyfully. However, while they were still giggling, Lemongrab placed the hand which was originally in his lap behind him and accidentally put it on top for Lemonfriend's. They both rapidly snapped they hands back and looked down to their hand. They both began to awkwardly giggle before placing their hands down again. Slightly apart from each other. They peer off in to the green, organic distance with their hands near their bodies. Lemongrab couldn't take the tension. He wanted the youthful touch of Lemonfriend again. That split second felt delightful, even if it was only their supple hands. Whilst still looking away, he gingerly edged his hand closer to Lemonfriend's. Lemonfriend was looking down; daydreaming in to his lap so he noticed Lemongrab deliberately moving his manly hand towards his. He decided to oblige Lemongrab's desire as he allowed his hand to journey cautiously towards Lemongrab. He glanced back in to the wilderness. Within moments, their smooth pinkie fingers touched delicately. Lemongrab made his move. He slid his hand fully on top of Lemonfriend's and began to subtly stroke his precious hand with his thumb. They both glimpsed down as their entwined fingers. Both blushing. Lemonfriend peered up and ensnared Lemongrab's gaze. It was like they were trap in the lustful moment. Captivated by a glimmer in their wide eyes. Unable to look away. Held together by their enhancing desire for one another's touch and their yearning for the others subtle movements. Their loving eyes coaxed the couple forward, closer and closer until finally... Their lips touched tenderly for a long awaited kiss. Feelings rush through Lemongrab's head. He can't believe it! He was finally enjoying a loving moment with Lemonfriend. He wanted more, but remembered that he should remain mutual to not discourage Lemonfriend. However, Lemonfriend must have been thinking the same as Lemongrab, as he began to intensify the embrace. The passionate movement of their lips grew and grew as they massaged each other's mouths. Lemonfriend lifted his hand he wasn't using for support to caress Lemongrab's handsome face, like he had seen in movies. Lemongrab saw this as an opportunity to also use his hand, but he put it daintily on Lemonfriend's hip and began to stroke him carefully. These gracious strokes were enough to light up their skin with desire and tingle with pleasure. Their bodies began to close the gap between them as they twisted slowly towards each other. Instantly, the kiss developed and they began to lick at each other's lips. They just nipped at each other to tease the other in to more affectionate touches and making them hungry for more. Lemongrab could taste the zesty, sour flavour of Lemonfriend, but he somehow enjoyed the sensation of the tingling lemon juice. As for Lemonfriend, he was trapped by his desire for more of Lemongrab's touch. The motion of his lips and hand were enough to send Lemonfriend in to a passionate frenzy. Be that as it may, the intimate kiss ended when they both pulled away calmly. Panting slightly, they caught their gaze again and stared longingly in to each other's eyes once more. A beguiled Lemonfriend smiled as he sat up and crossed his legs again. Drawing his knees in to his warm body to sit up next to Lemonfriend. Lemongrab regained his breath and gathered his scattered thoughts.

"For someone who has never been in a relationship, you can kiss." He giggled in his flustered state. Lemongrab grinned dreamily and chuckled incoherently.

"Thanks. Nothing on you though." He purred. "We should get back, before PB tries to find you."

"I suppose." Answered a reluctant Lemonfriend. Picking up everything from the picnic, as to not disrupt or damage the pristine environment. Lemongrab folded and rolled up the bright blanket and place it under his arm. Before he could carry the basket, Lemonfriend already had a firm grasp on the handle; he insisted on carrying it back. Although they would rather spend eternity in the forest with each other, the pair began their extensive journey back to the Kingdom of sugar and spice.

The wooden basket was cleaned out and tidied away. The blanket was placed in the pile of washing, for a refreshing clean. All that was left to do was to go to Lemonfriend's room and say a reluctant goodbye.

As they near his ancient bedroom door, they both felt a twinge of desire and apprehension overflow their minds and bodies. Neither of them wanted this amazing date to end, they would much rather entwine their legs and hands again, for much more sensual smooches. A type of emptiness entered their emotions as they finally arrived at his door. They turn gradually towards each other. "Thanks for another great afternoon, I really enjoyed it." Said a recessive Lemonfriend who was twiddling his thumbs together. He edged ever so slightly closer to Lemongrab.

"You're welcome; I had a great time too." His gaze was bright and welcoming. "When would you like to meet next?" He asked with an arousing tone, whilst gingerly stepping forward.

"I don't know when I'm free but I will tell you as soon as possible." He whispered appealingly. Their eyes met yet again, as they stared deeply into each other's lustful gaze. With moments, they closed the gap between their parted mouths and captured another kiss. This one intensified much quicker as their bodies faced each other. Their chests were pressed together in a loving hug as the embrace deepened. Lemonfriend wrapped his arms up and around Lemongrab's back, whilst Lemongrab slivered with strong arms around Lemonfriend waist. They had never been this close.

Both of them got lost in the drawn-out embrace. Nevertheless, the kiss ended as well as the date as Lemongrab bided his farewells and left with a massive grin on his face.

Before Lemongrab reached his room, Esme spotted him and called him over to gossip with her. "Now that's a face of a happy lemon." She teased.

"Very happy." Replied Lemongrab who was still in a dream-like state. Esme was not one to beat around the bush, so promptly asked him about a certain event.

"Did you kiss?" She asked. Her nosiness made Lemongrab chuckle inaudibly.

"Yes, if you must know." Esme began to make excitable squeaking noises, but before she could thoroughly interrogate him, he butted in and told her. "And I can answer all you questions before you ask. Yes, it was great, no, nothing bad happened and yes... There were tongues." He peered at her smugly. She just jumped hyperactively and praised her friend.

"I knew you could do it! Did Lemonfriend enjoy it?" She raised her eyebrow up and down to joke-around with him.

"Well, he said he did." Esme laughed and patted him on the shoulder in a friendly way.

"Tell me all about it on the way back to our rooms." He described the date to her enthusiastically and was more than happy to tell her about his feelings during the embrace. This marked the end of his eventful day and was the start of many more in the candy Kingdom. He had never been this happy before in his life. Never.


	11. Chapter 10-Intimate nights, secret days

3 months have past and the autumn storms had raged through the kingdom. But now, the citizens were being blessed with the low-lying rays of sunlight; gently warming their outer beings. Leaves around the kingdom that were once fresh and green have transformed. Now they are much more crunchy, brown and brittle. The October season was in full swing and the candy Kingdom was glowing gold thanks to the tanned sun.

Within the radiating walls of colour, Lemongrab and Esme were sat contently in Esme's room. Over the past few months, Esme had been giving Lemongrab a new hobby to keep himself occupied between training. Art. They began with the basic like drawing the tranquil scenery around the castle or sketching an object. However, Lemongrab got the hang of it within a few weeks and they have now progressed on to faces, figures and the different anatomies. Esme was perched on her bed. Her back was slumped on to the headboard, while her knees were drawn in to create a makeshift table for her sketch book. As for Lemongrab, he pulled up her table and chair set nearer to the bed, enabling them to talk to each other. His paper was lying on the table in an ordered fashion, with pencils surrounding it.

He had only been there 5 minutes before Esme began to ask him about his first relationship. "So, how are things between you and Lemonfriend these days?" She asked innocently, whilst continuing to sketch. Lemongrab politely replied.

"Things are great, thanks. I don't think I have ever been this happy. I could say the same for Lemonfriend. Well... I hope he's happy."

"Of course he is. Whenever you're around each other, neither of you can stop smiling." Teased the childish lady. Lemongrab just gave an incoherent chuckle and continued to sketch. "Why do you think he's not happy?"

"I didn't say 'I think he's not' I said 'I hope he is'." Esme nodded to show she understood him, but being her, Esme became rapidly curious and wanted to know the juicy parts.

"Have you stayed in his room over night yet?" Asked the nosey girl.

"No, why?" Lemongrab didn't understand what she meant behind her question, so was extremely confused. But it soon hit him. "Oh, seriously. You had to ask about THAT?" Esme blushed out of embarrassment, but soon reinforced her actions.

"Well, it's been 3 months and you were saying about how you hope he is happy. I just thought that..."

"Thought what? That I can't please him?" He asked sarcastically. He suddenly became all defensive over Lemonfriend. "And so what if it's been 3 months. There's no rush." Esme began to question Lemongrab's responses and wondered whether anything had happened.

"Are you nervous?" She asked in a childish manner. Lemongrab peered at her intensely. "I just wondered. It's a normal question for a friend to ask." He sighed to show he was agitated, but reluctantly replied to her.

"Kinda, I suppose." He avoided eye contact with her for a few moments before she continued to interrogate the flustered lemonhead.

"Is it because he has been with someone before?" Lemongrab just continued to sketch, looking down at his paper with an irritated expression. "Look, don't worry about this mystery guy. They might have not done anything tog..." Before she could finish, Lemongrab crashed his way in to her sentence, to let his feelings be known.

"Oh no, I know who he is and I know that they have!" He snapped angrily. Esme was slightly struck back by his sudden outburst. It was like he was defending Lemonfriend even though he wasn't there. Lemongrab realised what he said and took a deep breathe to calm his emotions. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap like that."

"No no, don't worry about that. I'm more concerned now about this mystery guy. Can you tell me more? I won't tell anyone else. You know I won't" Lemongrab was unwilling at first, but he knew that Esme kept promises, so told her the whole story.

"Don't tell Lemonfriend I told you." His voice sounded low and disheartened. Esme crossed her heart and listen in carefully. "I don't really know much about the guy, and they didn't do much either. I exaggerated. But I do know that the guy was called Rogan. He was not a very nice character at all, but Lemonfriend saw past this as he was still upset about me being taken away. It was about 2 weeks in to the relationship before the trouble really started." Lemongrab focused on one single spot on the floor, with woe in his eyes. He could just imagine the trauma Lemonfriend experienced. "Let's just say this, Rogan wanted sex and only that. Lemonfriend didn't want that. He didn't feel comfortable with him. Rogan tried to force him, but he got away and went straight to PB, who then threw him out of the kingdom. However before she could, Rogan went out to find someone for a one night stand, so basically cheated on lemonfriend as well." Waves of sympathy washed over both Esme and Lemongrab, whilst Lemongrab finished his story. "That why I don't want to rush him. He has already had a selfish pig try to steal his virginity, I don't want him to think I want the same. I want his love and company, not just his virginity." Lemongrab felt dejected and excluded after he finished the heartbreaking story. He could only think about what would have happened if he didn't change in to the fat tyrant. Lemonfriend would have never met Rogan and that would have never happened. But he couldn't change it. That memory was drilled in to his brain for sure. Meanwhile, Esme was shocked and disgusted by the distressing story.

"I hate people who think they own their partner. You shouldn't worry about Lemonfriend thinking of you like that. I know he doesn't. Besides, he loves you and by the sound of the story, there was no love between him and Rogan." Lemongrab lifted his mouth to the left to give a half smile, while he shrugged his shoulders lethargically. "Well, let me ask you this. Do you love each other and have good chemistry together?" Lemongrab nodded. He was now bit perkier than before. "Do you have the right 'stuff'?" She asked awkwardly.

"I think I saw some things in his draws." He answered with embarrassment in his tone.

"Then it will be fine. You just need to know what you're doing."

"I do." Lemongrab tensed up his entire body because of his overwhelming feeling of embarrassment. He wasn't meant to say anything, but it was too late.

"How? I haven't talked to you about that." Esme grew increasingly puzzled and worried about his answer.

"I just...you know... Watch a couple of videos." He blushed furiously. His whole face was almost red due to the rising feeling of regret in his stomach.

"Porn!?" Snapped Esme. Lemongrab was quick to correct her.

"No! Of course not! They were more... Educational." Esme curled her lips inward to avoid laughing out loud at her innocent friend. Nevertheless, she thought he was very grown up and mature to have done that instead of asked her about. He never had 'the talk' at school or from PB so he had to find out himself at some point. However, Esme was still going to relentlessly tease him about it.

"So that's why the history tab is clear when you give back my laptop." Lemongrab couldn't hold back his giggles either. It was either because he found it amusing or he was trying to cover up the fact that he was mortified. Either way, they left the subject behind them and finished up their drawing to say a friendly goodbye.

It was late afternoon the next day and Lemongrab was wandering to Lemonfriend's door with a basket of food and the usual blanket. It was almost a tradition now, that every 3rd date they return to the exact same spot and relax together after stressful days in the kingdom. Lemongrab approached the light brown door, which sealed Lemonfriend inside his room. After knocking lightly at the door, he awaited any kind of response. His sharp hearing was able to pick up the sound of soft footsteps making their way to the door. Once the creaky door was opened, the couple were finally allowed to gaze longingly in to each other's eyes. They both instantly became engaged by the glimmer behind their eyes and relished the presents of each other. Lemonfriend kindly invited Lemongrab in to his room, so he could give him a long-awaited kiss. He desired to be with him at anytime and anywhere, but their relationship was still secret, so in public they had to act like nothing was happening between them. It ripped their hearts apart and it let the hope bleed out of them, as they believe nobody would understand their love and react badly to the news. Nevertheless, the time they had was never wasted and they cherished every second they had.

Lemonfriend was just gathering up everything he needed for the date. "Sorry, I just need one minute."

"No problem. Take your time." Lemongrab politely replied. He placed the basket on the floor for a moment and took a place at the end of Lemonfriend's comfortable bed. Luckily it did not take long before Lemonfriend was prepared and ready for the date. He entered the room from his bathroom to hear an incoherent humming sound. It was in the style of a tune. He proceeded to follow the sweet humming, only to find the source of it was Lemongrab.

"You always do that." He said whilst giggling. Lemongrab snapped back to reality and was slightly oblivious to what happened.

"Do what?" He asked innocently.

"If you're left alone for just a minute, you start to hum or sing to yourself." Lemongrab blushed pure red and shrugged his shoulders with a cute, childlike smile on his face.

"Sorry, I don't know I'm doing it." He confessed. Lemonfriend started to chortle at his innocence.

"Don't worry. I find it sweet." Lemongrab stood up from the bed and lifted the basket off of the pale, yellow, stone floor with ease. Just as they neared the door, they both locked their hearing on to a familiar sound. There was a heavy pitter-patter on the window, like small fingernails were tapping on the glass. Turning round, the couple noticed droplets of cold water crawl down the mildly steamed-up window.

"Great. Now what? We can't go to the spot without getting soaked and we can't go anywhere inside the castle or town as people will see us." The pair of lemons racked their brains to find a solution on what to do. They bounced ideas back and forth, but every single one had a flaw in it.

"What if we just stay here? It's inside, nobody usually comes to my room after 6 and it's out of sight." Lemongrab promptly agreed with the suggestion and set the basket of food on to the table. Briskly, both of the men tucked in to the delicious nosh Lemongrab had prepared for them.

Once the food was all gone and their bellies were satisfied, Lemonfriend began to ponder on what to do next. Neither of them wanted the time to be over and as they had nowhere else to be, they had the opportunity to be together for longer. "What did you want to do now?" He asked. Lemongrab too was thinking of exciting ideas to help this date last longer.

"I don't mind. It's still raining out, so maybe there's something in here we could do." Lemonfriend looked around his room, however within moments he spotted a game on top of his wardrobe. With a twinkle in his eye, an idea sprung in to his head.

"I've got an idea." He jumped up from his seat and dragged his chair next to the hazel coloured cabinet. "Please can you clear the table? We need the space." Lemongrab was partially disconcerted by his lover's request.

"Sure, but may I ask why?" He asked whilst packing the basket with rubbish.

"I have a game of card wars up here somewhere. It comes with a board so we need the table space." Lemongrab had cleared the table ready, but was starting to question Lemonfriend's idea.

"Aren't we a bit old for that game?" Lemonfriend hopped down from the chair with the game in his hand and placed the chair back in its original position. He placed the game on the freshly clear table and replied to Lemongrab.

"In that case, we will make it more adult." Said Lemonfriend with a sparkle in his eye.

"How so?" Asked Lemongrab curiously.

"Well, what if every time a creature dies, that person has to remove an item of clothing." Lemonfriend's cheeky suggestion made Lemongrab blush and become increasingly recessive.

"So, we take off something until...?" Lemongrab was fearful of the answer.

"Until there's nothing else to take off, dumbo. Don't worry, it will be fun." Reluctantly Lemongrab agreed and took a seat opposite Lemonfriend. The cards were dished out evenly between the two lemonheads, while Lemonfriend refreshed the rules to Lemongrab. Once he understood the basics of the game, the intense match began. All four of their zones on the board were set up, allowing them to actually start attacking and killing each other's creatures. Just a few moves later, Lemonfriend had the perfect opportunity to kill one of his creatures with his legion of Earlings. "Oh dear. Looks like you need to take something off." He said in a flirtatious manner. The older earl placed his cards face down, in order to hide them while he removed his socks. "Seriously? Your socks."

"It's still an item of clothing." He replied sassily. "Besides, we should work our way up." Lemonfriend rolled his eyes sarcastically, as they both continued to play.

Time went by rapidly. Both the earls had lost the same number of creatures, meaning they both sat in the room barely covered. Just their boxers to hide their dignities. Lemonfriend thought hard about his next move. This was the decider. He could not find anyway of killing Lemongrab's last creature in just one turn. Lemongrab peered smugly at the board; he knew he had won from that point. Before he met his defeat, the move sprung out in front of Lemonfriend. It was hidden away from him, but had now made an appearance. If he brought his legion of Earlings back to life, any creature Lemongrab sent to attack would die from the scare. Lemonfriend placed his move confidently. Inside, Lemongrab thought he had defeated him, so he confidently sent his cool dog over to the other side of the board. It got to the edge of Lemonfriend's land, but his creature sprung in to action; the dog was killed instantly. Shocked, Lemongrab tried to recall what just happened. "Looks like your last creature is gone." Lemonfriend stood up enthusiastically and crossed his arms. "Now it's time for those to go." He peered down at Lemongrab's last item of clothing. Lemongrab gradually arose from his seat.

"Alright. I s'pose you won fair and square." Lemonfriend giggled childishly whilst unfolding his arms. Lemongrab bent his arms to hold on to the band of his boxers. He felt slightly embarrassed, as he easily slid them down his legs and stepped out of the only things keeping him safe from hungry eyes. Lemonfriend's smug look was quick to vanish as he took in Lemongrab's manly anatomy. He too felt his cheeks flush a blood red as he gazed at Lemongrab's majestic figure. He was only brought back to reality when he observed his lover step in front of him and gingerly pull down his own boxers as well. They were both uncovered in the cosy room. During the heat of the moment, Lemongrab close the minuscule gap between them with a swift, loving peck on the lips. He drew back to see Lemonfriend with his eyes softly shut and his expression slightly dazed. He suddenly remember Lemonfriend's story of his past and became panicked about his eager move. "Sorry. Is that...too far?" He whispered sweetly. Lemonfriend grinned cheekily. He shook his head abruptly and gave one single chuckle at Lemongrab's concern for him. He wanted more. So he leaned forward to meet Lemongrab's lips again. This time it was held a lot longer and more passionately. Both of their arms began to sneak around each other to draw them closer in to the long await embrace. Their excitement steadily grew, as every touch on their supple, young skin made them feel warm and tingly. Lemonfriend slowly stepped back, leading them both nearer to the comfy bed. Still held together by their devoted hug, they flopped down on to his bed with a muted squeak voiced by the frame. The more they moved their lips, the more their desires increased for one another's gentle touch. Lemongrab was on top of Lemonfriend, so began to put his 'self-taught tips' in to action. He stroked Lemonfriend's side and romantically traced a line all the way down to his outer thigh. He gave out a small groan, as Lemongrab continued to caress his body affectionately. To return the sensual embrace, Lemonfriend carefully bucked his hips up underneath Lemongrab and rubbed them together repeatedly. This caused a moan to escape Lemongrab hungry lips, while he was still attacking Lemonfriend's mouth with his tongue.

However he soon pulled away and gazed lustfully in to his eyes. Both breathless and yearning for more. Lemongrab tilted his head and began to tease and attack Lemonfriend's sensitive neck with tender nibbles, licks and kisses. This sent waves of pleasure over Lemonfriend's recessive body, giving him goose bumps. Now and again, Lemongrab would nibble on a spot which would intensify his pleasure and coax an incoherent whine out of him. With legs entwined, the couple continued to stroke and press against each other in a caring manner. They could feel their excitement grow higher and higher with every fond touch made between them. This was until Lemonfriend decided to enhance the moment further. Slowly and cautiously, he guided his hand down his lover's body to leniently palm his tender areas. He could already feel how hard he had become from just a few teasing motions. Lemongrab moaned in appreciation, as he finished his affection on his neck. As he peered in to Lemonfriend's tempting eyes, he bit his lip and thrusted his hips in to Lemonfriend touch. He was able to thrust Lemonfriend's hand against his own body as well, giving Lemonfriend pleasurable sensations.

Soon, the moment intensified as Lemongrab hovered above his partners panting body and placed tender kisses down his stomach, until he met his groin. He grasped Lemonfriend's erection prudently and lowered his head so it was only a few centimetres away. He paused. "May I?" Seductively asked Lemongrab. His voice purred deeply. Lemonfriend was overcome by lust, so it was impossible for him to verbally reply. Instead he closed his eyes and nodded his head vigorously; trying to mumble a 'yes' from his quivering lips. Seconds later, he snapped his eyes open, sat up sluggishly and peered down. With Lemonfriend's legs rested on his lowered, muscular shoulders, Lemongrab was using his long tongue to lick from the base to the tip of Lemonfriend's semi-erect manhood. All of a sudden, Lemongrab opened his mouth and engulfed Lemonfriend fully. He pulled his head back and then back down again, creating a repetitive motion which pleased Lemonfriend immensely. With each suck or lick, Lemonfriend saw fireworks burst in front of his eyes as he fell in to a dream-like state. Although it very extremely satisfying, he wanted more. He wanted Lemongrab to fully dominate him and use him. He wanted him to give him more pleasure. Not only that but he desired to please his lovers needs as well. He feared he would look too needy or slutty if he asked, nay, pleaded for Lemongrab to fully take his body, nevertheless he tried to spit out his desire to his partner.

"Le..mon..gr..ab, wait." Lemongrab stopped sucking on Lemonfriend, out of fear he didn't feel comfortable. He would hate it if Lemonfriend ever felt pressured by him. He let Lemonfriend legs drop back down as he crawled back up to meet Lemonfriend's glowing gaze.

"Is everything ok? Did I do something wrong?" Asked a contrite Lemongrab. Lemonfriend, with eyes still closed, shook his head to put Lemongrab's fears to sleep.

"Please..just...take me." Muttered a breathless Lemonfriend. "I want you." He kissed Lemongrab once on the lips. "Just dominate me." He kissed him again. "I'm ready. I want it." Once Lemonfriend finished his whimpering wish, Lemongrab felt full of lust, desire and affection. In order to obey his lover's wishes, he reached for a draw and yanked it open.

"I will do as you wish." Said an infatuated Lemongrab. "But I will get you prepared first." He rummaged around in the draw and pulled out some lubricant, wipes and two items of protection. He smooched his lover's neck to relax him and his nerves. Briefly, Lemongrab sat upright above Lemonfriend to put some lubricant on his two fingers. He set the bottle on top of the draws and led down, hovering over Lemonfriend. As a warning, he began to draw tiny circles around Lemonfriend's entrance. He was slightly surprised at first, but thanks to a few delicate nibbles on his Neck from Lemongrab, he soon relaxed completely and slipped his arms around Lemongrab's neck for comfort or support. Lemongrab felt him release his muscles, so saw this as an opportunity to insert one of his fingers in to Lemonfriend's tight opening. Lemonfriend winced from the sensation of his partners finger stroke the inside of his walls, but it felt so good. He was beguiled as to way he enjoyed it so much, because Lemongrab was barely doing any drastic movements; He just rubbed against his prostate. Lemonfriend was getting use to the feeling and was relaxing further in to thrust of Lemongrab's finger, so he pulled out almost fully and went back in with both of his fingers. Although it stung at first, Lemonfriend just led back and relaxed so the stinging was soon replaced with pleasure again. He began to imagine what it will be like with Lemongrab's erection instead of his fingers. Lemongrab was not a small man at all. Many men would probable dream to be his size, so he knows it will hurt at first, but if the pleasure is enhanced he would take him all. He couldn't wait any longer. He reached up to Lemongrab's ear and whispered with hitched breaths.

"Please...just..ta..take me. I'm re..ready for y..you." He moaned loudly after Lemongrab rubbed right against his sweet spot, but was quick to silence himself. Lemongrab gave him a cheeky glance showing he was happy to oblige to his wishes. He removed his fingers slowly and wiped over them with the wipes. He kept the wipe handy, as he reached for the protection. Both the men put one on, so the sticky mess was caught. Once Lemongrab's was on, he grabbed the bottle again to slick his length and used the wipe to clean his fingers again. He hovered over Lemonfriend, who had his legs spread open to allow Lemongrab to his pulsing entrance. Lemongrab lifted Lemonfriend legs up and bent them so his knees were near his chest. He remembered that this position was the most comfortable for the first time. Kissing Lemonfriend, he steadied himself between Lemonfriend's legs. Lemonfriend could feel his lovers bulge press against his young, tender ring.

"Relax." Lemongrab sounded alluring and was grumbled, yet he was still able to show tenderness. Lemonfriend breathed in and out deeply. Carefully, Lemongrab thrusted just his tip in to his partners tight, tender hole, so he could get use to the feeling. Lemonfriend winced and dug his nails in to Lemongrab's back from the intense sting arising from his anus. He shut his eyes tightly, but relaxed right after Lemongrab kissed him subtly. More of Lemongrab's length was forced in to the young mans entrance until he was fully inside him. Both men began to smooch when the length filled Lemonfriend. This was to avoid any loud moans or gasps to escape their lips. With a reassuring lick of the lips and neck, Lemongrab started to thrust his hips cautiously. This was the closest their bodies had ever been. Their pelvises and chests were pressed against each other as they rubbed their increasingly warm bodies together.

Lemongrab's out-of-sync thrusts had turned in to a sensual rhythm, as he continued to gyrate forward and satisfy Lemonfriend's desires and needs. Lemonfriend had wrapped his legs around the back of Lemongrab's thighs, in order to draw him closer and feel safe in his grip. With every buck of his hips, Lemongrab was able to reach the spot inside Lemonfriend that sent tsunami waves of pleasure over him. He wanted to scream and roar out his moans of satisfaction, alas he could not otherwise people would hear them. Although nobody's room was near his, people might casually walk past and hear him. Instead he made his moans and groan muffled by gently biting Lemongrab shoulder or tightly closing his lips; only one or two would be released from his lips. As for Lemongrab, he was grunting in to Lemonfriend's neck, as he nibbled, kissed and thrusted in to Lemonfriend. He lifted his head and looked down between his legs. Lemonfriend was fully erect and had white liquid already leaking from his tip. The older earl suddenly became extremely erotic and whispered provocatively in to Lemonfriend's ear. "Wanna make this even better?" Lemonfriend gave out a hitched 'yes' and allowed Lemongrab to do whatever he desired. Next thing Lemonfriend knew, Lemongrab had his arms wrapped around his back and he pulled him upright, so he sat fully on Lemongrab's boner. Lemonfriend arms swung around Lemongrab shoulders and he held on for support. Lemongrab journeyed only slightly deeper in to Lemonfriend, but it was still enough to coax a moan out of him. The rhythm of his hips started up again as he thrusted upwards. To intensify the penetration, Lemonfriend rose himself up and slammed back down in the same rhythm Lemongrab was thrusting in to him. The movements became harder and faster, the more comfortable they became. The lovers both felt like they were reaching the moment of pure ecstasy. Neither of them could help the moans of intense pleasure escape their lips. They would often mutter others names as well to encourage more thrusts and movement. Lemonfriend felt like he was losing his self control and begged Lemongrab to thrust hard in order to finish him off. As they both neared the end, they picked up the speed of the gyrations and their moans got a little louder. The bed began to rattle and squeak with every movement of the couple.

Lemonfriend felt his skin light up as he felt his climax approach. "Lemon...grab." He whimpered. "I'm so close." Lemongrab chuckled, but was soon cut short buy another wave of pleasure.

"Don't hold back. Just do it." He demanded. Lemongrab's large erect continuously rubbed against Lemonfriend's sweet spot, as he clung on to Lemongrab body for dear life. His orgasm finally hit him and it caused him to grip tightly on Lemongrab's body and drew him closer, as he flipped his head back in ecstasy. He clenched every muscle around his body, inevitably making Lemongrab's pleasure intensify and hastily finish him off as well. He rested his head on Lemonfriend chest and pulled him closer, gripping on to his young flesh.

They rode-out their orgasms before Lemongrab led Lemonfriend back down on to the bed. Sitting up he carefully removed himself from inside Lemonfriend. Both men were panting heavily while they removed their protection and threw them away in the bin. Lemongrab grabbed on to the covers and pulled them up and over the both of them, before he led down on his back next to Lemonfriend. Still panting slightly, Lemonfriend rolled his body over so he could cuddle up to his lover's side and feel warm again. As for Lemongrab, he had one arm around Lemonfriend with the other holding his hand, which was placed on his chest. "That was..." Lemonfriend began his sentence but had no clue how to end it. The time together was special. Fantastic. Not only that but it felt great.

"Was it ok?" Asked a modest Lemongrab. Finally the men had got their breathing down to normal, so they were able to engage in a coherent conversation.

"No, more than that. Much more." Said Lemonfriend dozily. He glanced down Lemongrab's chest to see Lemongrab's manhood push the covers up ever so slightly again. "In fact, I think..." Lemonfriend stroked his hand down the covers to fiddle with Lemongrab's erection again. "...someone is up for round 2." There was a familiar cheeky glimmer in his eye which made Lemongrab desire him even more.

"As you wish." The couple began to kiss again like at the beginning of the loving moment. Lemonfriend rolled on top of Lemongrab with his knees either side of him. The evening continued to be ecstatic and high energy. The fondness between the two was made stronger than ever before as they shared their first night with each other.

The morning song birds tweeted and sang their usually tune, as orange glowing Rays of dawn shone over the kingdom. The nights and early hours of the morning had begun to grow quite chilly, which made people want to stay in their snug beds and cuddle their cosy duvets or blankets.

Lemongrab awoke to a familiar feeling of warmth on his face and the low lying sun blinding him as he adjusted his sight. Before he revealed the world to his eyes, he remember about last night. He wasn't sure whether it was a deluded dream or reality. It felt so real. The way they touched their bodies lovingly and the pure ecstasy they felt. How he hoped it was real. After a brief moment of blindness, he opened his eyes to find himself in someone else's bed, in a different room, with different surroundings. He breathed in slowly and deeply before sluggishly turning round to face his right. There, led peacefully with his back to Lemongrab, was a tired Lemonfriend who was sound asleep still. He thought to himself how it was a delightful way to wake up. He had his companion to snuggle up to and to be the first face he sees to brighten his day. Lemongrab decided to wake his lover up by cuddling up to him, so Lemonfriend's back was on his chest. He snaked his arm over his hip and drew him closer. Lastly, Lemongrab rolled over slightly so he could delicately kiss Lemonfriend's neck. He placed 2 tender smooches before his partner began to wiggle calmly like a worm in the ground. He opened his eyes partially, but as he did Lemongrab whispered sweetly in to his ear. "Morning." He purred before planting another kiss on his supple neck. His voice was groggy and low, so it sent shivers down Lemonfriend's spine. He adored the sensation.

"What a nice way to wake up." He responded. He began to turn his body tardily towards Lemongrab who had now positioned himself on his back; holding his arm out to allow Lemonfriend access to his side and holding him in to the cosy embrace. The room had become dry and unpleasantly cold, so cuddling up to each other was the best feeling in the world. Lemonfriend gently put his head on Lemongrab's chest and snuggled in to him. He was still quite lethargic from the previous night, so he shut his eyes once more and dozed in the warmth of his adoring lover. As he began to nod-off again, he felt Lemongrab draw small circles on his shoulder, instantly soothing him. Not only that, but he could hear the rhythm of his heart beat pulsing in his chest. The repetitive beat made Lemonfriend unwind even further, like when a baby can hear their mother's heart.

Lemonfriend reminisced about the night they spent together. Although he enjoyed it immensely, he couldn't help wondering about how Lemongrab was so 'skilled' in that activity even though he had been with no one in the past. "Lemongrab?" He asked hesitantly. Lemongrab gave a quiescent 'mmm' as his weary reply. "You know you said you have never been with someone before me..." Lemongrab grew concerned and more alert by Lemonfriend's uncertain tone of speech.

"Yeah..." He replied

"Was that the truth?" Lemongrab had no need to think about his reply to the troubled Lemonfriend.

"Of course, I wouldn't lie to you about something small like that." He voiced confidently. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, it's about last night." Concern shadowed Lemongrab's mind. Did he do something bad or say something he shouldn't have said.

"What about it?" He asked with a worried tone. Lemonfriend scrabbled out of the cuddle so he could prop himself up with his elbow and look at Lemongrab's face.

"That can't have been your first time." He said assertively. Lemongrab lowered his brow to display a confused expression.

"What do you mean? It was my first time." He continued to look confidently in to Lemonfriend's eyes.

"I don't mind if you have been with someone before, just say."

"I haven't, I told you. Why are you questioning it?" Lemonfriend began to subtly blush, before he confessed his reasoning for denying Lemongrab.

"No ones first time is ...that good." He shrugged his shoulders and peered down in to mattress to cover up his embarrassed expression. Lemongrab chuckled. Relieved that nothing bad was bothering Lemonfriend. He pounced up and pulled Lemonfriend down on top of his breast. Slightly startled by Lemongrab's sudden action, Lemonfriend gasped as he landed on his lover's chest and was pulled in to yet another sweet hug.

"How are you so adorable?" Teased Lemongrab, as he whispered in to his ear. Lemonfriend had no intelligent or witty response.

"Shut up, I'm not." He replied. At that moment he could think of anything else to say, he was too caught-up in enjoying the comfortable, gentle moment.

However, their tender moment was soon interrupted by a dainty knock at the door. "Lemonfriend? Are you awake? Can I quickly come in?" The voice was high-pitched and sweet but well spoken. It was princess bubblegum! Panic overwhelmed both of the men as they scrambled apart from each other with haste.

"Quick. Hide." Whispered a flustered Lemonfriend. Panicking, Lemongrab practically jumped up and slipped under the bed. Once he was in position, Lemonfriend put in his acting skills. "Come in." He said lethargically. He was tried to act like he had just woken up. PB gingerly opened the door and strolled in to the room. Unaware of her other creations presents in the silent room.

"Sorry for waking you up, but I need that bottle you said you had, for my experiment."

"Oh yeah, they're on top of my draws over there." He replied, whilst yawning and rubbing his forehead. PB scanned the room and spotted the bottle hidden between a lamp and picture frames.

"Ah, thank you." Said the princess as she skipped contently over to his draws to collect the object hips he desired. As she turned round after picking up the bottle, she took one last glimpse around his room. Lemonfriend was led on his back with his head up and resting on his headboard. She peered at the clothes scattered carelessly on his floor and became extremely confused by one shirt in particular. "Hey, isn't that Lemongrab's shirt?" She asked curiously. Lemonfriend instantaneously felt hot in his face, as his heart raced. As for Lemongrab, he was lying helplessly on his stomach, wishing he had gathered up his clothes before dashing under the bed and hiding on the freezing floor. "Why do you have it?" Lemonfriend tried and tried to think of an intelligent answer. In his hysterical state, it was impossible.

"Well..." He started off with a shaky voice but soon pulled himself together. "We are similar, so we have similar taste in clothes. He gave it to me to borrow and wear for a while." Lemonfriend held his breathe. He desperately hoped for the princess to believe his tiny fib.

"Oh, that's kind of him, but wouldn't his clothes be too big for you? I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but he is more...bulky than you." Said the princess. Lemonfriend raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks." He said sarcastically. "No, it's fine on me. Just a bit baggy in places." He lied yet again. PB picked up said shirt and began to fold it up in her hands.

"Would you like me to take it to get washed before you give it back?"

"No no..." Lemonfriend instantly replied. "I was gunna wear it again today or tomorrow." PB rolled her eyes, but not before placing it on the back of one of his chairs. She noticed the cards sitting randomly on the table and became increasingly suspicious.

"Did you have a guest last night?" Once more, Lemonfriend felt under pressure.

"Yeah, Lemongrab. That's when I got the shirt."

"You're telling me, you two played card wars, he gave you his shirt and then he wandered back to his room shirtless." PB looked at Lemonfriend with a suspicious glance. His reply was a mere nod of conformation. PB snorted. "Kinda disappointing I didn't bump in to him." She said in a jokey manner.

"Oh my glob, seriously?" Lemonfriend tutted at the princess before throwing his body back down his bed, so he could lie down and doze. She giggled innocently while wandering back to his door.

"I'll be in my lab if you need me." She exited the room, oblivious about the guest hiding in the room, and closed the door. Lemonfriend exhaled deeply and was finally able to relax his whole body and mind. As he heard the latch of the door click shut, Lemongrab slowly emerged from under the bed and snuck back in to the warm bed.

"Thank god she's gone. I was freezing under there." He said as he snuggled the duvet in to his chin. Lemonfriend returned to his original position. Led on top of Lemongrab.

"Maybe more cuddling will warm you up." Lemongrab's only reply to Lemonfriend's request was an incoherent grunt. "What's made you grumpy all of a sudden?" Teased Lemonfriend. Lemongrab peered softly in to Lemonfriend's eyes before voicing his concerns.

"When are we going to tell her?" Just by the mention of telling PB made Lemonfriend sigh and feel disheartened.

"Don't bring that up now." He said agitatedly as he sat up right in bed. However he was closely followed by Lemongrab who sat beside him.

"I will bring it up now, because if we don't tell her she will find out eventually." Lemonfriend just peered at his twiddling thumbs with a hunched back. "Remember that we promised to ourselves that we would tell her when we were more serious..."

"Yeah... So?" Said a distressed Lemonfriend.

"So... What's more serious than making love? Marriage? Because if so, I think that's a bit too late." Said Lemongrab, as he continued to show his concern. "Come on, we need to tell her." Lemongrab's voice had become tender and quiet. He wrapped his arm lovingly around Lemonfriend's shoulder and rubbed his arm.

"I know we need to, but..." Lemonfriend cut himself off as he thought about his next words.

"But what?"

"But, I'm scared." Confessed Lemonfriend. Now that Lemonfriend said the truth, it made much more sense to Lemongrab as to why he was reluctant to tell her.

"Scared? Why are you scared?" Lemongrab grew worried about the reply.

"What if she...freaks out or doesn't understand? She did when I told her about Rogan. She could be horrible to us. Or tell others and they could gang up on us." Before Lemonfriend could continue his hysterical list of fears, Lemongrab butted in.

"Do you really think PB would do that? She created us and what does she say about all her creations?" He awaited an answer from his fearful lover, but when he gave him just a blunt stare, he kindly told him. "That she loves and cares about all of them. To her, you're like a son and a close friend. She's not capable to hate you. Trust me." Lemongrab pulled Lemonfriend down and tenderly caressed his back to reassure him.

"Ok... But please be with me when we do."

"Of course, we can both tell her. Everything will be fine." Before they settled back down to doze, Lemongrab placed a subtle kiss on Lemonfriend's head to put his worries to bed, while they continue enjoy the morning in each other's presents.

After Peppermint butler finished his usual morning errands, he entered princess bubblegum's lab to bring her freshly prepared tea for her, while she worked. "Here's your tea my lady." He announced his presents. "Just the way you like it."

"Thanks pep but." The princess took a tiny sip of the boiling content before continuing the experiment.

"I see you found another bottle." Voiced the butler.

"Yeah it was in Lemonfriend's room. I thought it was, that's were I saw it last." By mentioning Lemonfriend's name, the butler recalled a subject he wanted to discuss with the princess.

"Forgive me if I speak out of term my lady, but I wouldn't say if I didn't think it endangered the Kingdom." PB gave the butler her full attention at the mention of her Kingdom being in jeopardy.

"Continue pep."

"Well, have you noticed that the Lemongrab's have been acting strange over the past couple of months?" Asked the butler.

"I suppose they have been more secretive and shifty. But what's that got to do with anything?" Replied the beguiled princess.

"What if they are plotting together? They could want to take over the kingdom. They are the heirs after all." PB didn't believe the butler at first, but when she thought and focused on his point, she had noticed how closed Lemonfriend had become. If she saw him going out, he wouldn't go in to detail about what he was doing like he use to. She needed to know for sure to put her mind to rest. She couldn't concentrate on her experiment otherwise.

"I'll be back in a minute pep but. Could you keep my tea warm somehow?"

"Of course my lady." And with that the princess left her laboratory and headed in haste to her younger creations rooms.

Before she reached the turning to Lemonfriend's room, her hearing was draw towards bushed whispers coming from the direction she was heading. She crept up to the sharp corner and popped just her head out to suspect the area. She was greeted by Lemongrab's and Lemonfriend's figure standing outside Lemonfriend's room, with his door open. Lemonfriend was half way between his room and the corridor and was immensely close to Lemongrab. Their whispers were just loud enough and careless enough for PB to pick up a date and time. Maybe the butler was right? Were they planning something evil? Lemongrab might have lied about changing and was now back at the kingdom to persuade Lemonfriend down a route of evil deeds.

She continued to lip read to try and find out what they were discussing, but it was hopeless. But then, the moment changed dramatically. PB almost couldn't believe it when the two pulled together for a tender, intimate kiss goodbye. She felt like her eyes were glued one to the moment. She couldn't look away. Shock ran all over her body, causing her to feel light-headed and bewitched. Lemongrab pulled away from his lover and waved goodbye, while he strolled away; chirpy for the kiss. Lemonfriend entered his room without even knowing of the princess spying on them. As for the princess, everything she thought and suspected finally made sense. The reason they had become so secretive wasn't because they planned a take-over.

No.

The real reason was sickly-sweet and adorable. They were going out with each other and didn't want people to know. Simple.

Although she was relieved that the kingdom wasn't going to be endangered, she felt slightly angry that Lemonfriend didn't tell her about his new relationship. He told her everything. She knew that he dated men. Maybe it's because it's Lemongrab; another one of her close, genetic creations. But...

It didn't matter anymore. She knew what to do.

While returning to her lab, she planned to catch the pair off gurnard and confront them about the whole affair. But the question was how? She would have to think about it while sipping on her tea to calm her down. Her curiosity had taken her on a whole new route that she didn't understand.


	12. Chapter 11-The truth is revealed

Lemongrab was sat peacefully on his bed, alone in his room. Guitar in hand. Love on his mind. Within Lemongrab, a certain innocence had been willingly given away, only to be replaced with a sense of maturity. He had left Lemonfriend's room earlier that morning, so now the afternoon mainly consisted of him racking his brain on what the lyrics should be in his song. He had loosely made the rifts to his song, but was discombobulated as to how to write it. There were plenty of ideas written on his notepad and he had described how he felt, but when it came to writing it, he was at a loss. No matter how many times he wrote a line, it would soon be scribbled out in frustration or the paper would be ripped out and discarded in to the bin. It made no sense. He always wrote small songs with Esme at the unit and even in the candy Kingdom, he could write songs about the smells, sights and noises of the kingdom, yet now when he was writing something that was more important to him nothing came to his mind. Although he really wanted to start writing the song, he had training with Esme, so she would be at his door to collecting him soon. With a deep sigh of frustration, he propped his guitar against his dark, wooden chest of draws and changed in to his freshly cleaned kit.

Within moments of changing, Esme had arrived at the door and was knocking to summon him. He greeted her with a friendly smile, as he exited his room to make his way down to the training grounds with Esme by his side. The two friends were deep in conversation, while they strolled down the corridor. However Lemongrab did not mention anything about last night to her. He knew she would just tease him about it and be childish. As always. But he didn't have to worry about that. He should have been more worried about a pink princess dashing up to him. Obviously, he had no idea about her presents when he kissed Lemonfriend goodbye earlier that day. "Hey Lemongrab, can I talk to you for a moment?" Asked the breathless princess. Already he felt slightly confused as to why the princess wanted to speak with him. Esme patted him on the shoulder and told him to meet her on the grounds. With that Esme left, leaving the two to talk privately.

"Sure. Is everything ok?" He reluctantly questioned.

"Oh yeah, everything's fine." She now had her breath back. "I just wondered if you would like to meet later in the day. Just for a quick catch-up"

"Yeah, that would be great. Where would you like me to meet you and at what time?" He asked in a mellow tone.

"Meet in my lab at 5:30." Lemongrab gulped heavily. He was meant to be meeting Lemonfriend tonight at 6, but he already said he was free. When she said later he though in half an hour, not late in the afternoon.

"5:30...?" He stuttered out nervously.

"Is that a problem?" Asked the innocent princess.

"No, no. I was meeting Esme later for a coffee at 6; Might be tight for time." He scratched the back of him head. It may of not been a complete lie, but he still felt flustered and on edge about it.

"Oh that's fine, i was only going to ask about how you felt in the kingdom now and, you know, other stuff like that. See how you are."

"Well, I suppose I could have a quick chat. It will be nice." Replied a reluctant Lemongrab.

"Great! I won't keep you long. See you then." The princess was hasty to bid Lemongrab a joyful goodbye and started to head to a banana guard meeting.

Her plan was set. See knew all about Lemongrab's and Lemonfriend's plan for today, thanks to listening in this morning and getting the small details about the date. She was going to catch them out by meeting them both in the same place; both the boys could explain themselves then. Once their 'chat' was done, she was going to let them go on their date. With the knowledge that she approved of their relationship.

PB knew that her opinion of their love meant a lot to them. Especially Lemonfriend. They had helped each other out of trouble a lot, so they were like mother and son. Although she felt upset that he never told her, she could slightly sympathise with him. There must have been a good reason why he never told her.

Princess bubblegum continued to contemplate her plan and the reasons behind it all the way to Lemonfriend's room. Within a mere second she was knocking delicately at his door. The ancient door swung open. Stood behind it was a cheery, grinning Lemonfriend. "Hey, princess. You ready to tackle the banana guard?" He said gleefully. His enthusiasm startled the princess slightly. She had never seen him more overjoyed than he was then.

"Hello Lemonfriend." She said whilst chuckling. "Yep, let's get them in shape." He stepped out of his doorway and proceeded to the hall with the princess. She had to mention about his chirpiness. Although she knew the truth, she though it might be amusing to see him blush. "You seem incredible happy today. What's made you like that?"

"Oh, I just am. The sun is out and I had a good night." PB smiled evilly.

"Oh yes, your night with Lemongrab." Lemonfriend blushed. He was perplexed by what she was getting at. "Didn't know you still played card wars with him." He let out an incoherent sigh of relief.

"Oh yeah, ha...we uhh...still like each other's company." He smiled nervously as he began to feel sweat form on his brow. Q

"Ha, that's clear to see." She said innocently. "Oh, before I forget, can I ask you a favour?"

"Sure, what kind of favour?" Lemonfriend asked cheerful. He was now relaxed and he thought he got away with his secret.

"I need you to help me with an experiment again. I need two pairs of hands." The princess' plan was unfolding nicely.

"That's sounds fine. When did you want me to help?" Lemonfriend faced the princess while waiting for a response.

"After the meeting today, so 5:30 ish?" She watched as her lemon creation stopped in his tracks with a shocked expression.

"Today! But..." She glared in to his wide eyes; she looked confused.

"But what?" She asked curiously. Lemonfriend felt his heart race from panic. How was he going to cover his rapid action.

"I wanted to go out today. Just to relax on my own." PB tried to hold back her giggles. She found Lemonfriend's embarrassment and panic hysterical. But at the same time, she felt...disheartened. Lemonfriend told her everything. He told her about meeting Rogan and even come for help when he went 'mental' at him. Why was he covering this up?

"Just on your own?" She questioned. He nodded recessively. "It will only take 5 minutes, I promise." Smiling sweetly, the princess encouraged her creation until he agreed to go with her after the meeting. He trusted her.

The princess of science and her young lemon creation continued their walk to the main hall with haste, so the banana guard didn't get in to trouble.

The clock face in PB's lab read 5:32. Lemongrab knocked on the heavy, wooden door, but when no response was heard he pushed the door open to reveal an empty room. He advanced in to the still room to await the princess' arrival. Pale blue walls held him in. There were many pearl white types of cardboard fixed on to the wall and under peach coloured counters. Right in the middle of the room, there was a table which matched the counter tops. Upon the table top were many scientific flasks, a Bunsen burner and notes which were left behind by the princess. Hovering above it was a large metal contraption. Was it a laser of was it a microscope? Lemongrab wasn't sure. What he did know is that he shouldn't touch it. There wasn't much art on the walls of the lab, just more notes on a blackboard. Thanks to the massive window opposite the table, the whole room was well lit showing ever nock and cranny of the room.

Lemongrab's daydream around the room was cut short by the sound of the door latch clicking open. Upon turning, Lemongrab was greeted by the grinning princess. However he was slightly startled by the sight of the person following her. "Hey Lemongrab." Voiced the cheerful princess. Lemonfriend wandered passed the door. The first emotion he felt when faced with Lemongrab again was confusion and a hint of worry. Was everything ok?

"Oh, hey Lemongrab. Is everything ok?" Lemongrab nodded silently. Still feeling on edge about the princess' intention. PB was pulling out chairs and placing them around her table in an ordered fashion. Usually she only had one for herself, but she had planned ahead for today. She sat down on the right side of the table with the other two chairs facing her.

"Lemonfriend please can you shut the door? Then take a seat." Both men felt their cheeks flare up from anxiety. A twisted feeling began to rise from their bellies as they started to piece together what was about to go down. Lemonfriend abided the princess' wishes and delicately closed the creepy door. With the closure of the door, silence fell throughout the room. He nervously stepped over to a seat. "You too Lemongrab. Sit." She demanded gently. Lemongrab's heart started pounding harder in his chest. Sweat was forming on freshly washed forehead. With both of her creations sat opposite her, she relaxed herself and lent forward. She sighed. "Can you guess why I brought you both here?" She inquired. Stunned silent, the men just peered at each other; waiting for the other to answer. "Well? No guesses?" Lemonfriend shrugged his shoulders while making eye contact with the princess. He knew why, he just didn't want to say it. "Quit playing secrets with me. Well... It's not really a secret now. I know what is going on between you two." Her tone had gotten ever so slightly louder. As if she was getting frustrated.

"What do you...?" Before Lemonfriend could finish, Lemongrab interrupted him with a bold statement.

"How do you know?" Asked Lemongrab. His partner snapped his head round, as if he was warning him to watch his words. Lemongrab just stared bravely in to the princess' eyes.

"I saw you. Saying goodbye in a very touchy way." They all flushed pure red from the awkwardness of the conversation. Lemonfriend looked down to the cold stone floor and rubbed the back of his neck soothingly. As for the princess she let out a deep sigh and led back in to her chair. She did not want to raise her voice at them, for she was not angry with them. "Boys." They both made eye contact with their creator; her expression was soft. "You know I care about you." Still remaining silent, they nodded their heads in agreement. "Then why didn't you tell me?" There was a hint of despair in her voice. Lemongrab turned to Lemonfriend and encouraged him to speak up. He was the one who felt afraid after all.

"I thought you would be...mad." He confessed.

"Mad? Lemonfriend I'm more frustrated at you for NOT telling me. Why did you think that?" The princess was growing more confused by the second.

"Last time, when I told you about Rogan you went crazy at me."

"That was because it was him! I had...heard stories about him. A nasty piece of work." PB looked away from the two lemons sat opposite her. She reminisced about all the trouble he caused for the both of them. "Not like you two. I got to say, for that one second I saw you two together, I saw more affection than you and Rogan ever displayed in the relationship." Lemongrab peered down in to his lap to hide his embarrassed smile from his partner and his creator.

"So...we can stay together?" Asked an innocent Lemongrab.

"Are you happy?" She questioned. Instantaneously, both the lemonheads nodded vigorously. "Then of course! You two are too cute not to be." She replied instantly. The princess continues to ask questions about the two. "If you don't mind, can I ask how the hell you two came to be a couple?"

"Well, it's a long story." Started Lemongrab. "Umm, I felt feelings for Lemonfriend since I arrived back at the kingdom. It was only after some encouragement from Esme that I actual plucked up the courage to ask him on a date and that's how it all started." The princess smiled and tried to conceal the squeaks of happiness. She found it adorable.

"Where did you go?" She asked.

"The White horse. It was a really nice date." Lemonfriend replied to the princess, but when he did, he saw her show realisation on her face.

"Ahhh, so when I asked you where you were going Lemongrab, you did go to the White horse but not to meet Esme." She raised her dark pink eyebrows at her older creation. He blushed and fidgeted in his chair.

"Yeah...uh sorry for lying but it was only our first date." PB giggled at his awkwardness and continued to interrogate them about their relationships.

"May I ask how long you have been together?"

"About 3 months. Coming up to 4 months." Said Lemongrab, who had reached for Lemonfriend's hand. With hands joined, the couple smiled sheepishly. A sense of pride rose up within the princess.

"It's been the best 4 months ever." Added a love struck Lemonfriend. The personal chat advanced as time ticked by.

The clock chimed 6 o'clock, as all three of them arose from their seats. The pink princess turned the pink, candle handle of her lab door to let her creations go. "Don't be afraid to tell me anything guys. You can trust me." Grinning cheerfully and sweetly, she stepped out of the way to let them exit the lab and enjoy the rest of their day. They journeyed down the corridor towards the main exit of the castle to go to the quiet café for a drink. Whilst walking through the wide corridors, they started up a conversation.

"Well, that couldn't have been more awkward if we tried." Stated Lemongrab.

"Ha yeah kind of, well at least it's out the way and now we can be more truthful and not secretive about us." Lemonfriend replied.

"Yeah, I suppose that's true." A sickly-sweet idea popped in to Lemongrab's head. "And I suppose I can do this now." He reached of Lemonfriend's hand and held it delicately as they continued to stroll down the corridor. It caused a small chuckle to escape Lemonfriend's lips as they swung their hands slowly back and forth with every step. Some banana guards saw them pass. Although they were kind of confused by their loving contact, they shrugged it off and greeted them jubilantly as they wandered passed.

Their journey continued through the town, still with hands joined contently. Some citizens were surprised to see those holding hands, but soon accepted it and smiled brightly at them. Other candy citizens were more confident and wolf-whistled the couple, who were blushing furiously. Although it was sweet to have people being kind and accepting of their love, they didn't want the whole of Ooo to know just yet. So they took a short cut around the back of shops to avoid more crowds.

They were so close to the café before they heard childish giggles behind them. As they turned, they remembered who usually hangs around the back of this shop. The pup gang. There they were. Sat on top of the large bin with their basketball and CD player in action. "Woah! Didn't realise you were that friendly with each other." Teased Blombo. The couple stepped closer to the boys, so they could quickly catch up with them.

"Yep, get use to it boys." Lemongrab voiced. They all laughed at the cheery couple. "Heard anymore good songs lately?"

"Yeah, we found this one band called AC/DC. We reckon you will love them." Where had he heard that name before? Lemongrab thought and thought but it never came to his mind.

"AC/DC? I've heard of them before." Then it suddenly hit him. "Ah! That's one of Esme's favourite bands. Mind if I borrow the CD?" Asked Lemongrab.

"Sure, here." Jamaica passed the case to Lemongrab who scanned the cover with his bad eyes. He could just make out the red, electric writing and black background. "It's got some great solos and rifts"

"I know, she showed me some of their stuff a while ago." Lemongrab confessed. "Anyway, we better be off. Thanks for the CD's boys." The couple waved towards the misfits and promptly arrive at the café for their relaxing drink together.

As they entered the café they noticed how empty it was compared to the streets outside. There were literally only 4 people in the café that evening; and all four of them were around one table near the door. This place was much brighter than the other café Esme and Lemongrab went to ages ago. Instead the table clothes were clean white, the walls were painted a pale, baby blue and the floor was a light type of wood. They order a warm drink each to heat up their chilly bodies. Both of them opted for the simple white coffee. No sugar. Once their drinks were ready they took them to a table in the far corner away from everyone so their conversation was kept private in the silent atmosphere. "I thought there would be more people than this." Stated Lemonfriend. "Usually when it gets colder, everyone is here getting hot drinks to warm them up." He had his cup in his hands and close to his chest. Like he was almost cuddling it for warmth. Although he would much rather snuggle up to Lemongrab. He was so much warmer and cuddlier.

"I guess people aren't that cold yet." He picked up his cup and took a quick sip of the boiling substance. Still to hot to enjoy and drink, he placed it back down on the covered table to cool. "So, now that PB knows about us, do you think we can do more?"

"What do you mean?" Asked a slightly confused Lemonfriend.

"Well, last night we were stuck in your room out of fear of people seeing us. So now can we hang out around the castle and not hide?" Lemonfriend giggled as he thought of a cheeky reply.

"I guess so, but even though we were 'stuck' in my room, we found something to do." Lemongrab was obvious to what Lemonfriend was getting at.

"Yeah, I still think you cheated at card wars. But what ever it was something to do."

"That's not exactly what I meant." Lemongrab peered in to Lemonfriend's flirtatious gaze. "I meant 'we found something to do' as in each other." He winked in a teasing manner.

"Oh oh... I..uh...guess we did." Lemongrab chuckled nervously as his cheeks blushed a blood red, causing Lemonfriend to snigger silently. "I have to say I didn't even plan on that happening, I guess it was just...right?" Lemonfriend nodded in agreement.

"I think I made it more likely when I said about stripping." Both the men began to chortle childishly as they continued to make fun of themselves after the events of last night. Not surprisingly, that was a large, flirty chuck of their conversation before they finished their drinks and made their way back to the castle. The past few months had gone extremely quick for them. But it was the best moments of their lives. In that space, they had had their first date, first kiss and now they shared their first night together. Through doing all of this, the couple had been drawn closer and closer to each other; emotionally and physically. They could think of nothing which would spoil it, as the princess knew about their relationship and the citizens who know about it have only shown kindness to them. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing.


	13. Chapter 12-Trouble in paradise

It's weird to think that when Lemongrab first arrived in the kingdom, it was scorching hot. When he went to sleep, he felt like he was melting in to the sheets. However now, the days were shorter and the light from the sun was dulled by thin clouds. The temperature at night had gotten down to a new extraordinary low; usually freezing the small puddles left from the winter rains. The December season was in full swing. During the evenings, candy citizens were sitting around fires in their homes, drinking hot drinks to warm them from the inside out and snuggling under a blanket. That's something Lemongrab and Lemonfriend love to do. The winter chills would never nip their skin whilst they were cuddling under a duvet or just sat near a fire. They were happy in each other's company. You could say that they warm each other's hearts.

It was late in the morning when our new fighters, Lemongrab and Esme, were enjoying a coffee and a chat in the old-fashioned café they visited when they first arrived in the kingdom all those months ago. Sat in their usual spot, the two friends were cheerfully sipping on the boiling content in their cups. Although it was a relaxed atmosphere, Esme couldn't help but notice Lemongrab getting tense and frustrated at the littlest things. For example right now, he was struggling to open a sugar sachet and getting more agitated by the second. He growled deeply, while he fumbled with the packet of sugar. "Hey, calm down and give it here." Voiced Esme. Reluctantly, Lemongrab passed over the sachet with an angered grunt. Esme tore off the top with ease in her steady hands and gave the sweet content back to her friend. "What has gotten in to you? Has someone wronged you?"

"No, it's nothing to do with anyone, I just..." Lemongrab clenched his fists and held them near his chest; just a few inches away. He screwed up his face and gritted his teeth to stop himself screaming out loud in frustration. "I don't know. I've just been feeling strange for the past couple weeks." Esme rested her jaw on her thumb and stroked her chin with her index finger. After studying psychology for a few years, she was good at picking out odd emotions and linking them to what could be causing them. With Lemongrab though, she was at a loss. She had a hunch but didn't want to be too intrusive.

"Hmm, wanna know what I think?" She asked innocently.

"What?" His tone was low and had no care behind it.

"Well, not to be nosey, but... When was the last time you were with Lemonfriend?" Lemongrab was slightly perplexed by her question but answered it happily.

"Yesterday, you know that because he met me after training." Esme rolled her eyes.

"Mate, that's not what I mean." She gave him a friendly glance before she raised her eyebrow and tried to plant her meaning in his mind. Lemongrab just stared at her, getting more uncomfortable from every second of eye contact. To help her friend alone, she secretly gestured with her hands, making a ring on one hand and inserting her other index finger in to it. He soon understood the meaning.

"Oh..uhh...well...uhh..." Lemongrab blushed a shade of pure red. "I suppose when we first did."

"And when was that?" She inquired. Lemongrab just took a long sip on his drink and held up two fingers. "Two days?" She gave his a judgement look, but he soon shook his head. "Two weeks?" Her voice sounded more confused now as she tried to find out his answer. But yet again he said no by shaking his head, and setting the cup down. "Two months!?" Esme was in disbelief and shook by now. She was more surprised when he nodded with a bashful expression. "You haven't had sex in two months!?" Lemongrab soon shushed his friend to stop her telling the whole Kingdom.

"Keep you voice down." Luckily, as they both looked around, nobody had taken any notice of her surprised raised voice. They were chatting quietly to begin with, so it was lucky she didn't yell it out. "What's that got to do with anything anyway?"

"Everything you dipstick." Lemongrab looked at her in complete confusion. "I won't go in to scientific detail, but basically there are hormones rushing round in your head making you crave intimacy with Lemonfriend. The more you hold back, the more these feelings get harder to control."

"So you're suggesting we just...do it again." He asked sheepishly.

"Yep, you will feel so much better." Esme took a sip of her drink to finish the content.

"What if he isn't like me though? What if he doesn't want to?" Esme just gave him a fed up glance by raising one eyebrow.

"You serious right now. If he is like you, which he is, he will be feeling exactly the same, maybe even more so." Lemongrab sighed and finished his drink up, placing it next to Esme's empty cup on the tray ready to be taken away and washed.

"Well, thanks for the catch-up. I said I would get the animals ready for their walk, so I better be off." He announced.

"Ok bud, I better go as well. I want to relax for a bit." Before exiting the heated café, the pair grabbed their jackets to help keep them warm in the low, cold air. Esme had a long coat that reached her knees and was made out of a soft, woolly grey fabric, all tied together with large black buttons and a piece of material as a belt. As for Lemongrab he wore a normal length dark grey jacket which buttoned up at the side. It had a collar to cover the back of his neck, but it could also be buttoned together to protect his whole neck and chin from the cold. Once they were covered, they strolled out of the door and travelled back to the castle gates. Once there, they had to part their ways as Lemongrab was heading to the stables and Esme was going back to her room. Once a friendly goodbye was spoken, the two split up and carried on with their day.

Lemongrab was nearing the stables to prepare his Lemoncamel and Lemonfriend's lemonPegasus. The couple had decided to call them Cam and Peggy as a shorter version of their names. They didn't quite know if they were boys or girls, but it didn't seem to bother the animals to be named differently to their gender. While making his way there, Lemongrab had been thinking about what Esme said in the café. Maybe he was craving intimacy? His behaviour had been getting stranger through the weeks. He would stroke his skin more to feel waves of a confusing feeling run all the way up his body. If he sat down for too long he would start to fidget in his chair or bed. More sexual fantasies were invading his brain and he could do nothing to stop them. Not yet anyway.

Opening the door, he was greeted by a loud 'nay' and four pairs of excited hooves clip-clopping on the wooden floor. The animals were tried loosely by their reins to the side of the barn. "Alright you two, calm it. I'm here now." Both the noble steeds stopped moving by the command of their master. He wandered up to them and stroked their noses and cheeks to say a warm hello to them. Once they had settled down, he got them their food to munch on from the large container opposite them; stored away in a small, private pantry. They had hay to feed on during the day as a snack, but it isn't enough for them. He carried out the heavy bag of food mixer on his shoulder, cautiously poured it in to the trough. Once it was full, he propped it up against the wall. While they peacefully fed, he took this as an opportunity to put their saddles on and get them ready for the ride.

With the food almost gone and Cam's saddle nearly tied on, the animals were ready to go out with their owners. Lemongrab just had to do the tidying away. He was just putting the enormous bag of food away when he heard a strange woman's voice speak out to him. "You must be strong to be able to carry that heavy bag." He let the bag drop from his shoulder in to the container and looked behind him. In the rotting door frame of the stable stood a candy woman. She was different to everyone else. She was taller then all the other citizens but still about 5 inches shorter than Lemongrab. Her figure was odd as well. She looked like a cherry candy, but was much more stretched out and had strong curves on her bust and hips. Although she had a beige coat on, which reached half way down her thighs, she only had a red dress on underneath. Quite short as well. The coat left a gap on her chest, so her cleavage was visible and was tied up with a chunky balck belt. She had red high heels on; not suitable at all in this weather. Her deep red hair flowed down her back and partially over her shoulder. It led on her clothes in smooth, subtle curls and her fringe steeped across her face to hide some of her forehead. To complete her outfit, her face was heavily made up with a dark eye shadow, pink blush and pure red lipstick. She was dressed and acted like a pin up girl which made Lemongrab wary of her intentions. "Hi, you must be Lemongrab." Her voice was low, posh and flirty.

"I might be. Who are you?" He gave her a slightly disgusted look as he waited for a reply.

"I've been called many different things by many different people. But you can call me Chantal." She replied. Chantal strutted towards Lemongrab whilst speaking and was now a mere metre away. "I couldn't help but notice your conversation on the way here with your friend. Am I right in saying your partner is not satisfying you?" Lemongrab scowled at her.

"That's none of your business." He spat. "I'm quite happy thanks." Lemongrab turned his back on the strange lady to untie the animals.

"I only want to help you with your frustration." She said with a pout as she closed the gap between them again. Lemongrab turned to face her and make his opinion heard. He didn't need any help from her. But as he turned and took a deep breath to correct her, he found himself falling back in to the wall and being held there as she kissed him roughly. Her whole body pushed against him to keep him still, while her hands held his face tightly in position. She forced her tongue in to his mouth as he squirmed and tried to keep his mouth shut tightly. He couldn't get her off, even when he pushed her shoulders away from him; she would only bring his head forward. He didn't want to hurt her, but he wanted it to stop. All of a sudden, they both heard a bucket drop to the ground with a crash and apples began to roll around on the floor. When Chantal gasped and turned to see what the noise was, Lemongrab took his opportunity to push her away quickly and get away from the crazy lady. Lemongrab knew who had just seen them. Wiping her lipstick off, he glanced round the barn door to see Lemonfriend storming off at dramatic speed. His heart fell in to his stomach as he muttered a dishearten 'no' to himself and began to run after Lemonfriend.

He would have caught up with him if it wasn't for the lunchtime rush. Every candy citizen was on the street making their around town to grab a light lunch. He darted through the people, sprinting in and out of gaps and made it to the castle steps. Unfortunately, Lemonfriend was far ahead of him. By the direction he was going in, it looked like he was angrily travelling to his room. With his destination discovered, Lemongrab dashed after him. Puffing and panting, he weaved his way past the castle staff and got closer to his lover, who was still stomping his way to his room.

An oblivious Esme was making her way to the training hall when she heard heavy footsteps coming towards her. Lemonfriend turned the corner with speed and closed the gap between them. "Hey Lemonfriend." Her friendly greeting was ignored. She noticed the contoured expression he held and instantly became worried. "What's wrong with you? Where's Lemongrab?" She didn't expect his snappy explosion of anger.

"He's in the stable with his SLUT!" She stopped in her tracks to peer at Lemonfriend as he stormed past her. At first she was shocked by his angry outburst but just a few moments later she homed in on quick steps coming towards her at an alarming rate. Lemongrab came speeding round the corner like there was a monster after him. "Lemongrab, what's this I hear about..." Before she could ask him, he had already run past her and was hot on Lemonfriend's trail, leaving her extremely perplexed. She thought about following him but felt like her input would not be appreciated at this point.

Lemonfriend arrived at this room, but after hearing a distant "No! Wait Lemonfriend." From Lemongrab, he hastily slammed his door shut. He wanted to be left alone, so locked the door within moments to keep everyone out. Including Lemongrab. Just as Lemongrab got to his room, the old wooden door was abruptly shut on his face leaving him alone as his fury started to build. He was so annoyed at himself for what he did. Even though it wasn't his fault. "Please open the door!" He pleaded to his partner who was rapid with his enraged reply.

"No way cheater!" He snapped. His words hurt Lemongrab like he had been shot but a gun of negativity.

"Please, let me explain. I didn't cheat..."

"Really?! Don't act innocent now, because I saw you with her!" Lemonfriend was only just able to choke his words of anger out.

"I didn't mean for that to happen! I would never cheat on you!" Lemongrab was desperate to get Lemonfriend to see sense and let him in so he could cradle his lover and forever snuggle up to him. But instead he was outside, pleading for forgiveness. "Lemonfriend, you know I love you. I would never hurt you. I'm…so sorry." His words trailed off as he tried to hold back his tears of sorrow. As for Lemonfriend he also calmed down. He slumped on to the floor with his back resting on the door. Hiding his face in his hands, he let out a long sigh as salty drops formed in his eyes. He adored Lemongrab, but he was hurt. Really hurt.

"Just... Give me some time to think. Please." Lemongrab could hear his voice change. He was hushed and now and again Lemongrab would hear a silent gasp for air as he whimpered and cried.

"Ok..." That was his only reply, before he reluctantly walked away with a broken heart. Lemonfriend heard his incoherent footsteps disappear, so he finally let out a loud sob and allowed the tears to fall like waterfalls from his eyes. His mind was so confused. Was Lemongrab telling the truth? He loved him so much. He needed to clear his mind and calm down before he made any rash decisions.

Esme was waiting patiently in the corridor for her friend to return, so she could talk and help him. She was sat with her back on the wall awaiting Lemongrab's arrival, when she heard boots being delicately placed on the floor; at dawdling speed. She hopped up off the floor in haste to be greeted by a lugubrious lemon man, who was staring at the floor in complete despair. "What the hell is wrong? You two were looking angry and sad, then shouting. What's going on?"

"I screwed up." His voice was quiescent. His eyes had tears slowly forming in them as his bottom lip began to quiver. "I screwed up real bad." His face crumbled up as he directed it to the floor and let a tear fall from his lashes.

"What do you mean?" Asked Esme in a mellow, quiet tone. She stroked his shoulder carefully to comfort her friend. Finally, Lemongrab was able to croak his reply.

"This girl. She came up to me in the stable and kissed me." Esme was in shock and confusion. "I tried to push her away, believe me, I did but Lemonfriend saw before she got off me. Now he hates me." Tears and sobs cut Lemongrab's answer in to smaller parts. He wiped away his tears and continued to scroll back to his room. But he was stopped by Esme.

"Wait one more thing." He turned back with woe in his eyes. "What does she look like?" Although his mind was in disarray, Lemongrab was able to give his friend a small description of the trouble maker. He just told her about her appearance and voice.

"I need a minute alone thanks." Voiced a groggy Lemongrab.

"Of course. I will speak to you later." Esme smiled tenderly at her depressed friend as he turned back to continue his lonely walk back to his room to wallow in pity. As for Esme, she had a mission on her hands. She was not going to let this slide. Her vow she lives by is to always protect her loved ones and confront anyone who messes with them. She ran straight to the stables to try and track down the tart for had messed up everything.

Esme was desperately hunting through the town for Chantal the trouble maker. She asked citizens whether they had seen her around, but any lead she got soon went cold. As cold as the winter air. That was before she saw her strolling down an alleyway. Her ego was so high a mounting would look tiny in comparison. Her strut was over exaggerated and made her look cocky. Esme almost ran up behind her and called her out. "Hey wait there you!" She yelled. Chantal turned with a disgusted look on her face. To her, all women were a competition.

"Yes, what do you want?" Said asked rudely.

"Am I right in saying that you've been with Lemongrab earlier today?" Esme's patience were being tested with this girl. She had no time for ego maniacs.

"Maybe. How is that any of your business?" The girl turned towards Esme, like she was challenging her.

"He is my friend and you have greatly upset him." Esme replied through gritted teeth.

"How have I upset him? I helped him." Esme was hasty to correct her.

"No you have destroyed his relationship. How could you be so callous?! Lemonfriend and him were deeply in love and happy, but then you came along like a shit storm and ruined it." Esme took a deep breath in to help settle her fury.

"Well, Lemonfriend wasn't for him. He had not satisfied his partner and Lemongrab deserves someone who knows what their doing because he is a real man."

"So that's it." Esme stopped the girl from speaking more. "You're jealous because you can only get idiots and desperate guys, but Lemonfriend has Lemongrab who is compassionate and devoted to just him."

"Not at all! Lemonfriend can keep him now. He may have muscles, but he just a sissy gay boy." Chantal harsh words were enough to make Esme snap at her. Esme grabbed her sword and drew it out of its holder to place near her throat.

"Never. Use words like that. Especially when referring to my friend." Esme was ready to dramatically hurt Chantal but held back as she knew she would be in the wrong. "Let this be a warning to you. The last person that hurt someone I loved almost died by my hand. Don't let the next person be you." Esme glared furiously in to Chantal fearful eyes and drew back her sword. She placed it back in her scabbard and took a few paced back. Chantal saw this as an opportunity to run for her life down the alley, leaving her ego and pride behind. Her heels made it impossible for her to run gracefully down the alley, but at least it amused Esme. She allowed herself to calm down as she walked back to the castle, with an innocent expression on her face.

The castle seemed eerily quiet when Esme return from her confrontation with the girl behind all the trouble. You could detect the chilling wind whistling through the gaps in windows and hear every scuff Esme's shoes made on the cold stone floor. However, this weird silence was interrupted by muffled footsteps coming casually towards Esme. The boot sounds were unhurried as if the person had no energy left in their body. The echoing steps got louder and louder until a figure turned the corner. He had is arms crossed and was hugging tightly on to his body. Probably to keep himself warm. His pure white, fleecy jacket had a zip running all the way up to his nose to helped to keep the cold out. This time though, he had it done up to about his collar bone. Enough to give him warmth in the freezing weather. That person wandering towards her was a woeful Lemonfriend, lethargically approaching Esme. "Hey Lemonfriend." Her voice was sincere and muted, but it still grabbed his attention from staring at the ground.

"Oh, hi Esme." Once he looked at her properly, Esme could see how red and inflamed his eyes had become from his salty tears of despair.

"Can I talk to you real quick?" She asked. Lemonfriend sighed heavily and peered back at the floor, before returning to gazing at the lady stood in front of him.

"I know what you're going to say, so please just leave it."

"Please, just let me say one thing." Lemonfriend rolled his eyes, but let her continue uninterrupted. "I met the girl who Lemongrab was supposedly with." Lemonfriend glared at her agitatedly, but allowed her to keep talking. "She basically confessed to me that it was her fault and he didn't want any of that to happen. She was horrible about you two but don't worry I took care of her." He gave her a worried glance, but she was soon to reassure him. "I didn't hurt her, just scared her off. I just ask that you think and please consider talking to him and sorting things out." Lemonfriend had to fight back the tears forming slowly in his eyes.

"I have considered it, but my mind is just too clouded at the moment. Just give me time." He pleaded.

"Of course, just remember that PB and I are always here for you both." Esme presented him a smile for encouragement.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." He said as he started to stroll away. "If anyone asks where I am just say I went for a walk near the forest." Esme simply nodded to show him she understood his request and let him carry on with the day, while she headed for Lemongrab's room.

Esme was nearing the door to Lemongrab room, when she heard soft, hitched sobs break the silence in the surroundings. Esme felt her heart break in two. She loathed seeing her friends hurt, especially if it was for something they were innocent for. She steadied her hand near the door and knocked politely. "LG, it's me. Can I come in?" She asked. Her voice smooth and caring. All she could hear was a broken grunt sounding like a 'yes'. Cautiously she opened the dark wooden door to find Lemongrab led on his stomach on the right side of his bed. His head was facing the opposite way on top of the pillow he cuddled tightly. Closing the door behind her, she wandered over to the other side of the bed to sit next to him. He did not budge when he felt his bed subtly collapse next to him as Esme placed herself on the bed; her shoes were removed before she crossed her legs and relaxed. "Sit up bud and let me speak to you." She said as she rubbed his shoulder to comfort her dear friend. Lemongrab wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, while gradually rolling over and setting his back on the back board. His face and eyes were extremely red from the tears he had shed. His breathing was cut up by sharp inhales for air, as he tried to control his quiet sobbing. Drawing in his knees, Lemongrab curled in to a ball and rested his head on his shaking knees. Esme tried to find a way to calm her friend and reassure him, but she was stumped for ideas on how to help. "Don't worry, it will get sorted and forgotten in no time."

"How?" He questioned. His voice was groggy and sorrowful. "I messed everything up."

"No you didn't silly. He just needs time to clear his head." Esme tried to reassure him and put his worried to bed. "Lemonfriend loves you, you know that. He will come round soon enough."

"He was cheated on before, remember." He voiced. Esme was slightly confused at what he was getting at.

"Yeah, what's that got to do with now?" She asked curiously.

"Well one, now he feels betrayed again." Esme was quick to correct Lemongrab's statement,

"Only betrayed once. You didn't mean that to happen."

"But I said I would never let that happen, now look. And you know what, the reason I'm so upset isn't that Lemonfriend might dump me or whatever; it's the fact that I broke his heart. And that's why my hearts breaking...because I know...he's hurting badly...and it was because of me." Lemongrab finally voiced his worry to Esme. She was struck by his tender, sincere words but felt like a bullet had been fired straight through her heart. She had only ever seen Lemongrab this upset once. And she'd rather not see that again. No it won't turn to that. Esme knows everything will work out.

"Don't you dare say it was your fault, because it wasn't. Every relationship experiences problems or arguments, but people say that makes them stronger. Think of everything you two have been through already. This is just a small blip." Lemongrab gave no reply except a weary sigh. "Don't worry things will get better in not time. Just one thing; please take time to clear your head. It will help." Esme jumped off the bed and stared back at her gloomy friend.

"I'll take the animals out later. They didn't get their walk." Lemongrab suggested as he led back down in to his original position.

"Good, I will speak to you later." And with that Esme left his cosy room to journey to the training hall, for the training she had missed earlier. Lemongrab stayed motionless on his bed while thinking continuously about his mistake and how much he hated the feeling of regret rising out of his gut and running all over this body. His energy was drained from the stress, so he soon nodded off on his warm, spacious bed and let the worries slowly flow out of his mind while he slumbered.

Dazed. Confused. Sleepy. It was later in the afternoon before Lemongrab finally awoke from his peaceful nap. Moving lethargically over to his clock, he saw that the time was 5:43pm. To him he thought that it was deep in to the night, as darkness had fallen over the whole Kingdom, blanketing it in a thick layer of black and navy blue colour. It occurred to him that the animals still needed to stretch their legs and walk around the kingdom, so he waste no time getting out of bed to tend to his beloved animals. He thought to himself that he should take a detour to Lemonfriend's room and try to get a reply out of him that was calm.

With his jacket on and heart pounded out of his chest, he gradually got ever so close to Lemonfriend's door. Finally Arriving at the wooden door, he gathered his feelings in a deep breath in and out. He knocked 3 times before speaking out to his love. "Lemonfriend, are you in there?" No reply. "If you are, I'm taking Cam and Peggy out for their walk. Would you like to come so we can talk things threw?" He waited with baited breath but yet again, there was no reply. Not even a sound of movement. "Please, I'm begging you. Just let me hold you and say I'm sorry." Yet again, nothing. He sighed to show his disappointment that he could not look in to Lemonfriend's face and say a meaningful apology, but time was ticking by and waiting for no one so he had to carry on with out him for today. With his heart in tatters, he wandered down to the stables. The place where all this commotion started.

Once again, Lemongrab was greeted by happy hooves pounding on the floor. Their happy faces were able to lift Lemongrab's sprit slightly and even force a small smile to appear on his face. "Hey guys." He said with a subtle tone of happiness. The pair of noble steeds were still ready to go, since Lemongrab left their saddles on when their original plan went up in flames of anger and despair. While untying the bonds made on their reins, Lemongrab couldn't help the clear memory of what happened only hours ago from invading his mind. He still felt the shook that ran through him when he was forced on to the wall. He shuddered. But if he could only choose one memory to erase from his discombobulated mind, it would be when Lemonfriend saw him and ran away with his achy heart. But there was no use dwelling on something that is only making the pain worse. His glass heart was already shattered; it didn't need anymore pain. So he led both of the excitable animals out of the stable door by guiding them with their reins. Since it was just him, he walked in between them so he had more control of the power animals. He didn't take in how beautiful the kingdom looked lit up by street lights which expelled the darkness, he was too busy staring at the ground in anguish. The ice cold air made his shallow breaths visible by a cloud of white, smoke-like steam escaping his mouth. He decided that the animals deserve to walk on more than just hard, cold stone or creaky old floor boards, so he took them out beyond the kingdom's walls to roam and explore the fields of gold grass and the beautiful cotton candy trees on the edge of the forest.

It was strange. The edge of the forest seemed to come alive once the sun fell down in to hiding. Rustling bushes and snapping twigs made Lemongrab slightly on edge, but he knew it was just burrowing animals out looking for food so he continued alone the edge of the forest, which was smothered in pitch blackness. Although the atmosphere was spooky and eerie, Lemongrab was peaceful in his own mind having let go of some of his worries. However his serenity was disturbed but a powerful force pulling him nearer to the forest. LemonPegasus, or Peggy, had gone in to full hunting mode and was scanning the ground with its nose. It had picked up something, but it could not quite home-in on it, so it continued to pull on their reins and go against Lemongrab's tugging motion. "Come on Peggy, please. I'm not in the mood for you shenanigans." All of a sudden Lemongrab found himself falling towards the strong creature which had taken no notice to his plea or its restrains. Lemongrab sighed but soon became confused by Peggy's behaviour. On one precise spot on the ground, the animal went crazy, like when a dog finds a creature to hunt. Peggy made odd noise of excitement and began to slightly buck, which gave Lemongrab great concern. What had they found?

He beckoned over his camel, Cam, and routed around in a bag that was slumped over their hump. When ever he and Lemonfriend took the animals out, they would always take supplies in case they got lost or just need it in an emergence. After some digging, he pulled out a torch to inspect the ground before him to see what was making the Pegasus so wild. Shining it on the ground, he instantly detected what they had found. Blood. It was a minuscule patch on blades of golden grass, but the yellow made it stand out like it had a sigh waving above it. It did not glimmer as he shined his light on it so it must have been made a while ago and solidified in the dry, frozen air. He debunked this as just being animal blood, like a rabbit or bird of some kind. But then just up head, he found compelling evidence.

Amidst the quite overgrown patch where they were, there were boot prints and some had been dug in to the ground and smudged; just like they had been struggling away from something. The new fact made Lemongrab's skin crawl. Someone had clearly been in trouble and no one could have helped them. Before leaving to tell the princess of the 'crime scene', a shining object shimmered in his artificial light, catching his attention. Upon closer inspection he saw it was a sliver and leather bracelet, which had probably been pulled off by the bad guy in the struggle. He picked it up to take back as more evidence, but as he gazed at it further his heart sunk right to his feet. It was the bracelet he gave Lemonfriend for his birthday. He knew it was because he picked the unique charms to go on it. It struck him. It all made sense. Peggy went crazy, not just because of what was found but because it was their master and it was mad it couldn't see him. Just to be sure, he placed his foot in one of the neat bootprint that weren't scuffed. A perfect fit. He could barely think. He scanned frantically around the surrounding area for any indication of where Lemonfriend was or whether his kidnapper was still lurking patiently.

"Lemonfriend!" He cried out. No reply. There was little time he could spare, so he swiftly mounted Cam and held on to Peggy's reins. The noble steeds set off like a rocket after the command of their master. Racing towards the kingdoms gates, Lemongrab could barely think of where Lemonfriend was or if he was still alive. "No." He told himself. "That won't happen." The animals speedy run meant they were right back at the stables in moments. He rapidly guided them to their beds and bounded their reins to the original post at the end of the cosy stable. He wasted no time and darted out of the animal's home to head straight to the princess and Esme.

Banging the front doors wide open, he frantically eyed the room for signs of recent activity to indicate where they were. He zigzagged through the winding corridors, looking in every room, but she was not there. She wasn't even in her lab; extremely surprising. Sprinting around the castle trying to find PB and Esme seemed to last forever, however he soon picked up female voices and raced towards their source. There, Stood by Lemonfriend's door was not only the princess, but Esme, Finn and Jake. They all had a concerned expression on their face, as they tried to speak to Lemonfriend. Little did they know, he wasn't even in the room. Lemongrab didn't hesitate and ran straight up to the group. Esme saw him first and called out for help. "Ah, Lemongrab we need your help." As she alerted his presents, the other members of the group all turned to see him running towards them. The princess didn't not look impressed.

"I don't fully know what happened, but whatever did happened now needs to be sorted." Lemongrab could barely breathe. He puffed and panted from his bursts of sprinting he just completed. "Please help us. We can't get him out of his room. He won't even speak to us. I'm getting worried." Voiced the princess.

"I still say you let me punch through the door. Like I did at your dungeon Lemongrab, right?" Said Jake. Lemongrab was slightly perplexed they didn't realise he was not there, but nodded to Jake to agree with him.

"No way Jake. I don't have time to make candy mass that looks exactly the same as this." At that moment Lemongrab was finally able to let them know about the horrific situation.

"There's no need to go in there, because he's not there!" They all gave him a confused look.

"What are you talking about Lemongrab?" Asked Finn.

"He isn't in his room. Glob damn it, I don't even think he's in this Kingdom!" Almost simultaneously, the groups' jaws dropped. "I found this." He pulled the beautiful bracelet out of his jacket pocket.

"The bracelet you gave him." Esme said silently.

"I found it near the edge of the forest along with boot prints that where dragged out like there was a struggle and... Dots of..." It took all of his might not to burst out crying as a result of his worry. "...Dots of blood on the ground." He croaked quietly but was able to hold it together. The princess gasped and displayed a panicked expression. As for the rest, they all seemed infuriated and ready for revenge.

"We need to act fast." Stated the princess who had broken through her shook. "Lemongrab, take Finn and Jake to the spot where you found everything. No need to come back to me if you get a lead, Finn can call me and let me know, but we need to be fast. Just follow it as soon as you find it." Lemongrab nodded to show he understood. "

"I'll get my sword." He replied with a stern expression held on his face, like he meant business. Finn and Jake followed on, as they jogged to his room to retrieve his weapon of revenge.

"Esme, do you mind staying here to help protect the kingdom if something happens and to scan surrounding areas for Lemonfriend." Asked the princess.

"Of course, I would be happy to." PB led Esme to her secret security facility to help her look around the whole kingdom. The search had officially started, so the game of twisted hide and seek begun; It begun with fury and fear. What it will end with is unknown to the group, but it will obviously end with someone getting hurt.


	14. Chapter 13-mission not so impossible

Chapter 13 : mission not so impossible

A sorrowful silence had spread its way through the castle; it affected everyone it touched. News about Lemonfriend's disappearance had already made its way to the castle staff through rumours. To settle their worries and their own, Esme and Princess bubblegum wasted no time and rushed to the CCTV room where PB keeps an eye on the Kingdom in secret. Not everyone agrees with her method as it invades their privacy, but the kingdom has been saved many times thanks to it. Two banana guards sat at the computers were slightly startled when the door slammed open and the princess beckoned them to move from the desk. "Sorry banana guard but we need to take over. Go take a break for now and leave us to this." Demanded the princess. The trained guard jumped up from their seats and raced to the doorway, while holding a salute.

"Yes princess!" Said the banana guard in unison. As quick as a flash they exited the room, leaving the two ladies to search for their dear friend. The princess frantically scanned each screen before changing them over and scanning the next set; she used Esme as a second pair of eyes, in case she missed something. On one camera they spotted Lemongrab, Finn and Jake racing towards the outside of the kingdom to find the place where Lemonfriend could have been taken.

"See anything yet?" Asked an anxious PB.

"No, nothing." Esme could sense PB was terribly worried. It was only adding to hers and making it worse. "Don't worry, we will find him." Esme tried to calm PB. She was a bundle of nerves.

"I know we will. I put cameras all over the kingdom, in rooms and in underground tunnels. If he's here we will see him on here." The princess had finally toned her anxiety down and placed herself down on one of the swivel chairs; Esme copied her. Her frantic actions had slowed down as she continued to scroll through all of the footage. Esme was curious of something but felt it would trouble her to ask. She hesitated, but her curiosity flared.

"PB can I ask you something?" She asked innocently. PB nodded. Her concentration was not on Esme at that time as she carried on searching through the screens. "How did you not find out about their relationship if you have cameras everywhere?" The princess sighed because the question had little to do with the mission at hand, but she answered it to satisfy Esme.

"Lemonfriend probably knows the blind spots and he knows when change over time is, so less people pay attention to the screens. Also he doesn't have a camera in his room because I trust him." Her explanation made sense to Esme, as she nodded sluggishly. PB's anxious scowl soon turned in to a despondent expression. "I just hope the evil person who took him doesn't know about the blind spots." She admitted with a dishearten sigh. Esme returned swiftly her gaze to the screen as she started to search the computer again for any sighs of life. But they got nothing.

Meanwhile Lemongrab, Finn and Jake were almost at the scene where Lemonfriend was abruptly and savagely taken. When they arrived with torches in hand and swords around their waists, the area was still deathly silent and the cold air nipped at their skin. As soon as Lemongrab showed him the blood patch and boot print, Jake bounced in to his dog instincts and used his incredible smell to define the evidence. "I don't want to upset you LG, but this is definitely Lemonfriend's blood; I can smell the citrus in it." Lemongrab let his head drop, but he wasn't going to let his hope or determination sink.

"I know it's his, but can you tell who took him?" He asked politely, but in a frantic state.

"Wait a sec, my doggy senses are picking something up." Jake continued to sniff along the ground as three different smells tickled his nose. "I'm getting loneliness, insanity and a dirty beard." It didn't take long for all 3 of the adventurers to figure out who was behind this heinous act.

"Ice king!" They said angrily.

"Come on Jake, we need to get to the ice Kingdom as fast as possible. I'll call PB on the way." With Finn's command Jake grew and grew until his legs were taller than the trees swaying peacefully in the wind. He extended an arm down to Lemongrab and Finn to hold on to, so he could pull them up and place them lightly on his elongated back. As soon as he took the first giant step, Finn called PB to let her know of their departure. His phone rang only once before he heard a sweet but panicked voice on the other end. "Finn, have you got a lead?"

"Yep. Surprise, surprise the ice king is behind this." Finn could hear the princess growl over the phone.

"It's always got to be him!" Shouted the princess.

"I know, we're going to his kingdom right now to save LF."

"Ok, good luck boys." And with that, PB hung up on the phone and relaxed her nerves slightly in the knowledge that the boys were close to finding him.

Finn hid his phone back in his large green rucksack and enjoyed the ride while he could. "Finn, Jake..." Voiced Lemongrab, both the boys gave Lemongrab their undivided attention. "I just want to thank you for doing this. With you guys, I wouldn't be this far this quickly,"

"That's ok man, he our friend to and nobody messes with our friends." Declared Finn. Jake soon agreed with his adopted brother.

"You're right. Oh, and just saying you guys can always wait outside if you want. I'm taking care of the ice king myself." He said through gritted teeth, as he clicked his knuckles. Finn giggled and nodded to show he understood. Lemongrab was not going to let the ice king off lightly. Well, at least not without any bruises. He remembered oh to well about what happened last time he was with the ice king. He knocked him out and put him in that weird dungeon to use his 'unique quality' as a type of bait. That was a mistake, but this will never be forgotten or forgiven.

—1 and a half hours earlier in the ice king's castle.—

Before Lemonfriend opened his heavy eyes, he was unpleasantly greeted with a frosty chill pinching his thick skin. Although he still had his jacket on, the air was able to sneak through the tiny gaps and replaced the warmth with icy winds. As he finally flickered his eyes open, the ice blue room he was in was extremely blurry; He was passed out on the ice cold floor. When he moved his headed of the stone cold floor to look around, a intense pain emitted from the top of his head. He gradually reached up to feel where the strong ache was coming from. Almost instantly, he whipped his hand back after accidentally touching a cut making it string even more. When he scanned his hand with his hazy vision he noticed a thick red substance painting his finger tips. He knew what it was, but had no recollection of how it happened.

At long last, his vision focused on his surroundings. He was locked behind strong bars made of thick ice. Everywhere was covered with ice. The floor, the walls, doors, windows, even his bed frame. Once he had fully regained consciousness, he suddenly realised where he was. The ice kingdom. Lemonfriend leaped up rapidly, but soon experienced terrible head rush, which did not help with the pain oozing from his head. He stumbled back on to the freezing wall, as he tried to calm his panicked mind. The chilly atmosphere began to drain the warmth from his body, causing his to tightly hug himself to stop anymore essential heat escaping. He snuggled him body, but wished it was Lemongrab's body. When ever he was cold, they would always cuddle and warm each other up instantly. Speaking of Lemongrab, as he peered down in to his crossed arms, he noticed a certain personal item missing. His black leather bracelet. Fear struck his heart as he searched the ground in a flustered state. Nowhere. He had lost it. It would be easy to spot in his cell, so he figured it was with the ice king or somewhere near the candy kingdom. Never had he ever felt so lost or confused in his life. He let his head dropped as he moped in self pity.

However he was quickly disturbed by a excitable humming sound. The mans voice was all over the place and had a weird high pitched tone which would then turn deep. Wearing his golden crown with three red gems, his dark blue gown and his messy, white beard that almost reached his weak knees he entered the room with two rolled up blankets. He seemed elated with his secret plan. "Ah, you're awake!" He exclaimed.

"What the hell ice king! Why have you brought me here?" Lemonfriend was furious, but had a sense of subtle fear arising from his heart.

"Well, it's a long story...but I guess as you're not going anywhere I can tell you." He said while setting the blanket down on the floor to sit down without freezing his butt off. He also gave one to Lemonfriend to do the same thing. Calmly, he accepted the blanket and placed himself upon the itchy cover. "I've been doing this princess business for ages now and I was not getting anywhere with the ladies. They would fight against me and leave. I'm tired of being lonely, but no princess will stay with me." Lemonfriend didn't like where this was going. "But it struck me; if I can't get a princess...then I can always get a prince." Lemonfriend leaped up from his make-shift seat. The ice king closely followed, as he wanted look in to his eyes while they talked.

"Ok, I see where this is going and it needs to stop." Voiced Lemonfriend as he backed away from the bars of his cell.

"But...it worked with you and Lemongrab. You two weren't lonely in each other's company. And now he's gone I can have you." Lemonfriend felt his patience reach its peak.

"You're crazy! And for your information, I'm still with him and he is the best. He makes me happy, he is much more than you will ever be AND he is a great fighter so you better watch your back." The ice king just listened to Lemonfriend gloat about his lover before he really hit where it hurt.

"Yes, 'he's all this and more' but isn't HE also the one that cheated and broke your heart." Lemonfriend was whipped back to the memory that caused his heart to ache with sorrow. It was like the ice king shot him with a bullet of words that pierced his already damaged heart. With great difficulty, He began to finally mumble out an answer.

"How did you...? Well...no he...I don't know. He says he didn't and his friends are backing him up so... I believe them more than you." He crossed his arms peacefully and squeezed himself tightly to hold in the warmth again. Lemonfriend had been thinking a lot about that event, mostly while on his walk, and he came to the decision to forgive Lemongrab. He knew what was in his heart and cheating wasn't. The ice king began to speak which caught Lemonfriend's attention from staring at the floor.

"He shouldn't of been in that situation anyway. He's no good for you, but I can make it all better. You could be mine. I gave you that blanket to keep warm, so you know I think of you." Said the ice king with a twinkle in his eye. His kind of twinkle wasn't tantalising, it was untrustworthy and had bad intentions behind it. "If you say yes, I can let you out of there and we can snuggle to keep warm. All you gotta do is say yes." Lemonfriend looked down again. He was not ready to give in to the ice kings deals just yet. Never in fact.

"Never." He voiced through gritted teeth. "I will never be yours." The ice kings expression changed to fury, as he frowned and clenched his jaw. All of a sudden he cast a spell that sent Lemonfriend flying towards the wall behind him. Two Icy shackles were formed on his wrists and two; metre long chain of strong ice connected him to the wall and the shackles. He was chained. He pulled at the chain, but it was solid.

"It's not that difficult to just agree to my deal." The ice king gave him a cold, cruel look that hid terrible intensions. He turned away from Lemonfriend's contorted angry expression to walk out of the room. "I'll be back for you later, you can count on that." His voice was low and unsympathetic. As he left, Lemonfriend just slumped to the floor allowing the tough chains that bound him to the wall to drop with him letting out a clang. Sitting in a ball, he began to feel extremely alone and helpless. Also a shred of worry was coursing through his body at the words spoken by the ice king. What was he going to do to him? At this moment in time all he could do was hope that someone was going to save him. He hoped it would be Lemongrab, so he can just hug him and say sorry to him; he was never going to let go. But no one was there with him, so he just sat by his self, alone in the freezing, ice kingdom awaiting his hero to save him from this frozen hell.

—back to present time. Finn, Jake and Lemongrab are arriving at the ice kingdom—

Jake began to shrink back down to his normal size as the boys neared their destination. Lemongrab and Finn jumped off his back and began to run towards the ice king's main hiding place. The icy, mountain-like hideaway blended in to the background perfectly, but Finn and Jake had been there so many times to sort him out, they knew which one it was. "We should take him by surprise and go through a window or something." Suggested Lemongrab whilst charging towards there destination.

"Good idea. Jake do you think you can get us up to that window there, at the side." Finn pointed out the small opening to Jake. It was hidden round the side of the ice king's home.

"Sure thing." As they finally reached the towering mountain of ice, Jake stretched and wrapped his arm round his companions. He hoisted them up to the small window, then stretched his leg to get himself inside the freezing home. The three boys scanned the area for any sigh off life. Nothing. Everywhere was still, which was slightly worrying.

"We should split up so we save time and find Lemonfriend quicker." Said Lemongrab. All of his suggestions and plans had worked so far, so the boys followed his orders and parted away from him. Finn went left, Jake went up some stairs and Lemongrab went down a cold hallway, followed by some steep steps down in to a freezing area of the hideout.

He was moving relatively quickly through the twisting halls, so he would reach Lemonfriend as soon as possible. He hoped that nothing had happened to him; he had never felt worry like this. His heart felt like it was going to jump out of his mouth, as he scanned every single room but every single one of them was empty. Some had cobwebs across the door meaning nobody had been there for years. He continued to sneakily pace down the hallway, until his attention was attracted to a strange clanging noise. Before he followed the mysterious noise, he drew his sword to serve as his protection and weapon of pain. Wandering down the corridor, he at last came to some steps; the noise was coming from below. The lower he went down the ice king's domain, the colder and more eerie it became. Once at the bottom of staircase, he concentrated on his surroundings. The clanging noise had stopped. However, Lemongrab was drawn to a room on the left hand side, which had a dulled light source. The door was on the side wall so Lemongrab couldn't see in yet. As he approached the opening, he got in to his attack stance in case someone jumped him. At long last, he had reached the door frame. Before storming in, he steadied his hand and breath by counting to three in his head.

One...two...

THREE...shock. He turned the corner, pointing his sword out as a threat, but he soon drew it back when he saw Lemonfriend lied on his side, facing away from him. He was shivering and quivering. His breathing was hitched by sobs as he tried to warm himself up. "Lemonfriend...?" Whispered Lemongrab. Lemonfriend's eyes lit up at the sound of that soothing voice. He heard footsteps coming towards him and a swift pace, so he turned his body hastily to see who had just called his name. To his delight it was his beloved Lemongrab who had an extremely worried look on his face, as he peered through the bars.

"Lemongrab." He muttered, he could hardly believe he was here for him. He jumped up from the floor and raced over to the bars to look in to Lemongrab's eyes intently. "Thank glob you found me." He whimpered.

"Hold on, step away from the door." Lemonfriend did what his lover wanted and stepped right to the back of the cell. Lemongrab drew his foot back and took a deep breath in. With all his training of the perfect kick from Esme in his mind, he swung in foot forwards and smashed the door open with the ball of his foot. Once the lock was broken, he speedily dashed inside to comfort his partner. They smushed together in a relieved, warm embrace as the couple was finally united after all the terrible events of the day. For Lemonfriend, his lovers hug was warmer than any blanket provided by the ice king. Lemongrab pulled out of the hug to inspect Lemonfriend's health. "What happened? What has he done to you? Are you hurt?" Lemongrab whispered in his vexed state.

"Calm down, I'm fine." Spoke Lemonfriend as he caressed Lemongrab's cheek. "I just had a cut on my head, that's all." Lemongrab sighed with relief and pulled Lemonfriend close to his body again.

"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault." Mumbled Lemongrab.

"Don't be silly. How is it your fault?" Asked Lemonfriend.

"If I was with you...if the plan never changed and we walked Cam and Peggy together, the ice king would have never tried to grab you." He muttered croakily. Lemonfriend gently pushed Lemongrab away from the affectionate hug. He stared in to his eye intimately, before pulling his head down so their lips could touch tenderly. Lemongrab embraced the kiss and wrapped his arms around him; holding him tightly to his chest. Lemongrab was extremely grateful that he could still taste Lemonfriend's supple lips, as he intensified the kiss. However Lemonfriend soon pulled away so he could speak. He sighed deeply to gather his thoughts and courage pull he parted his lips to voice his thoughts.

"It wasn't your fault...none of it was." Whispered Lemonfriend.

"You mean...you forgive me?" Asked a chirpy Lemongrab. Lemonfriend simply smiled sweetly and nodded his head. Lemongrab could not think of anything to say thanks to the overwhelming feeling of relief being lifted off his shoulders. All he could think to do was pull Lemonfriend back in to the heated hug while whispering 'thank you' in to his ear. Lemongrab soon remember that Finn and Jake were still searching around this isolated domain. "Quick, let's find Finn and Jake so we can get out of here." Lemongrab grabbed his hand and lead the way back to where he started. Lemonfriend was happy for Lemongrab to guide him out of that freezing cell and get him closer to home.

The lemon men had been searching the ice palace for what seemed like forever before they heard crashes and clangs coming from upstairs. They slipped through the corridors and dashed up some stairs and were on the pursuit of the chaos unravelling in the other room. Once they reached the ice king's main living room, the two men saw Finn and Jake battling against the evil ice king. He threw blasts of icy magic at them, but they were able to dodge all of them. Lemongrab felt a weird, fiery feeling flare up inside of him. Fury consumed him as he stood staring at the fool who dare touch his beloved Lemonfriend. He drew his sword and started to creep up on the ice king. However he was soon halted by a hand desperately holding on to his arm. "Please be careful." Whispered a anxious Lemonfriend.

"I'll be fine; I have to help Finn and Jake. Stay back." Lemongrab continued to advance towards the ice king, whilst also protecting Lemonfriend who closely followed behind him. The ice king was too busy dealing with Finn and Jake to notice Lemongrab to his right; tiptoeing closer and closer to him. Lemongrab slowly lifted his hand near to his head to signal to Lemonfriend to stay put. Lemonfriend followed the order and let Lemongrab venture on his own. He got extremely close to the ice king before the enemy suddenly turned around after blasting Finn and Jake against a wall; knocking them unconscious. He swung a punch at Lemongrab who inevitably dodge it with ease and retaliated with an almighty punch to the head and a swinging kick to take out his knee. The fight lasted a mere three seconds.

The ice king grunted as he tried to lift himself up to fight again; it was amazing he wasn't knocked out. "You can't do this to me!" He coughed.

"You hurt someone I care about. This is just a section of what you deserve." Said Lemongrab sternly. "If this is how you show love, by locking them up, you're going to be lonely forever." He cantered over to the boys who had just about come round from the heavy blows to their heads. Lemongrab helped them up from the frozen floor and made sure they were ok. He kept glancing back to the ice king to make sure he didn't move anywhere. He wasn't finished with him yet.

Finn and Jake made their way over to Lemonfriend to say a friendly hello and see if he was ok, while Lemongrab returned to the ice king who was sat cross legged holding his head in his hands. Lemongrab held his sword in his hand confidently and stood in front of him. He kneeled down to the ice king's level and peered coldly at him with his piecing eyes. "Let this be a warning to you." Lemongrab put the tip of his sword on the ice king's chin and gradually pushed his head up so they made eye contact. "If you ever come near anyone I love or care about, your time on this earth will be up. Got it?" Lemongrab's voice as deep and serious. His eyes would flicker with fury, as he stared the ice king down.

"Fine." Grunted the ice king. Lemongrab removed his sword from beneath the ice king's chin and stood back up, whilst making his way back to where everyone else was. They were slightly stunned by Lemongrab's threatening words, but it also made them feel safer from the ice king and his annoying habits of kidnapping people. They all made their way to the main entrance of the hideout to finally return home. Safe and sound.


	15. Chapter 14-Memories reawakened

The chilling air nibbled and pinched their skin as Lemongrab, Lemonfriend and Finn all journeyed back to the candy kingdom on Jake's fury, warm back. The height at which they travelled at was perfect height to gaze at the beautiful, twinkling stars. A sea of glowing, white dots were scattered among the pitch black sky, bringing activity to the lifeless blanket of darkness. On the way back to the kingdom, Finn was seated at the front with Lemonfriend behind him, who was leaning against Lemongrab's chest. The couple were snuggled together; keeping each other warm. Lemongrab had his arms wrapped around his lover's waist and gently pulled him closer to his heat-emitting body. He never wanted to let go. He felt like he almost lost him and it made his heart feel extremely heavy from the regret rising up from inside him. Nevertheless, he was totally relived to have his precious Lemonfriend back in his arms. As for Lemonfriend, he was just glad to be out of that frozen hell. While he was in his icy cell, terror was beginning to fill his mind. He wondered if he was ever going to be found and what the ice king was going to do if Lemongrab and the guys didn't save him when he did. "Hey guys." Said Lemonfriend. The boys gave him their full attention. "I just wanted to say thank you for rescuing me. The ice king had bad intentions and you saved me from them. I'm very grateful." Finn gave a small chuckle.

"No need to thank us, we're just helping out our pal." Voiced Finn.

"Yeah, we'll help you anytime." Added Jake. Lemonfriend smiled contently as he rested his head on Lemongrab's shoulder and peered up to the night sky. At the time, Lemongrab was about to speak to the boys to also say a heartfelt thank you.

"I also want to say thank you guys. If I didn't have you to help me track him down, I don't think I would have ever found him." As he said the last line of his sentence, he subtly pulled Lemonfriend in to a tender embrace.

"That's ok LG. Like I said, we were just helping out a friend in need." Finn turned to witness Lemongrab and Lemonfriend exchanging a soft, drawn-out smooch. "Ah guys really! Save that for when we get to the kingdom." As the pair parted their mouths Lemonfriend giggled while Lemongrab rolled his eyes.

"Whatever Finn." Said Lemongrab in an uncaring manner.

Finn had rung the princess a few minutes ago to inform her of their successful mission and that they were on their way home. Because of this, she was waiting with Esme just outside the castles gargantuan doors. Bundled up in their coats and thick boots, the girl's faces lit up when they saw Jake step in to their sights on the horizon. Jake shrunk himself down to his normal height, but only once they arrived at the castle steps. The princess ran towards the boys to welcome back her dear friend and creation. She swung her arms around him and held him in a loving hug. "Thank glob your alright. I was so worried." She said as she pulled back from the shared hug. "Are you hurt? Lemongrab said about finding blood."

"I'm fine PB, just got a small cut on my head." Lemonfriend was able to calm PB's anxieties quickly by showing her the tiny gash. "See nothing too bad."

"Well, just make sure you let me clean and cover it to avoid infection." PB was starting to sound like a mother. She technically was but she always seemed more like a friend to the lemon creations. "Well done boys. Yet another fantastic rescue from the ice king."

"Thank you princess. We better get going; Bmo gets worried if we stay out too long." The two brothers waved their goodbyes to everyone as they travelled back to their cosy tree house. As for the others, once they cheerfully welcomed each other back, they began to head in to the castle of candy to settle down for the night in their warm beds.

Before the two men arrived at Lemonfriend's room, they made a detour to PB's lab so she could quickly patch up Lemonfriend's head. He told her over and over again that he was fine, he just needs to relax, but she would have none of it. He whispered to Lemongrab if it was ok for him to wait for him. He happily obliged and wondered in to the brightly lit room. Within moments, PB had found herself a clean cloth which was damp with warm water and special wound cleaner. Once she dapped over his wound and cleaned the blood off of his head, she reached for the large, white plaster to tape over his cut. Finally, she was happy to let her beloved creation go and carry on with his night. "Before you go, can I ask you something Lemongrab?" Lemongrab felt slightly confused but answered the princess quickly.

"Sure princess what's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, I just wondered if you were free tomorrow, in the late morning. I would love to catch up with you." The princess smiled innocently at her creation.

"Yeah that would be great thanks." Lemongrab replied.

"Great how's 11 o clock?"

"That's fine. I'll see you then." They both thanked the princess for her time and bided her a friendly goodbye. Throughout Lemonfriend's short time waiting in PB's labs, Lemongrab had noticed how irritated and restless he was while he sat in one of her pearl White chairs. It was almost like he wanted to get somewhere else swiftly but she was holding him back.

To his left, Lemonfriend saw his wooden room door still peacefully shut just like he had it when he left the castle last time. He reached in to one of his jacket pockets, which was zipped up and pulled out his keys to his room. "Hey, do you mind looking at something real quick. I had it earlier, but didn't have the chance to show you." He said to his oblivious lover.

"Sure." Lemongrab's answer was simple and short, but that's because he didn't see anything suspicious about Lemonfriend's request. It was normal. Lemonfriend fiddled with his keys to try and get it in to the slim keyhole. It turned with a click and clanged as his other keys fell on top of each other. They wandered into the dark room with Lemongrab unaware of Lemonfriend's intensions. Lemonfriend guided his hand along the wall to find the light switch, so the darkness could be banished from the room. With a flick of his finger, brightness entered the room, touching all his furniture with a golden glow. He entered the room to canter over to his draws and place his keys in a small dish. Lemongrab was close behind him, but instead he closed the door quietly and stayed near the door; he thought he would only be there 10 minutes.

Lemongrab heard the crash of keys hitting clay when Lemonfriend dropped his keys rapidly in to the bowl. Before Lemongrab could even ask what his lover wanted to show him, said lemon person was storming towards him with a lustful expression. He slammed Lemongrab in to the door and connected their lips in a moist, sensual kiss. Lemongrab was stunned by this out of the blue smooch; however he soon began to kiss back as it felt amazing; even better than usual.

They grew more and more excited from every touch made by their hungry lips and adventurous hands. Lemonfriend pulled away from the embrace briskly and began to strip down. "I need to be honest." He said in between the ruffle of his clothing. "I've wanted you for ages now, but I was able to wait. Not now." Lemongrab was intrigued. Lemonfriend was now only in his boxers while he grabbed a towel from his draws. He ran back over to a bewildered Lemongrab. "It all changed when you confronted the ice king. The way you fought him bravely and when you spoke to him...your voice just sent me wild." Lemonfriend leaned up for another hungry kiss, before explain his desire to Lemongrab. "I'm going to take a quick shower, and then we can start our night together." He said in a flirtatious manner.

"Can't I have you now?" All of Lemongrab's thought had gone haywire. His whole body tingled with desire and lit up with every sexual touch.

"Not yet, just wait out here and ready yourself for an exciting night." Lemonfriend jogged in to the bathroom and closed the door hastily behind him. Excitement flooded Lemongrab's entire mind and body. He yearned for his partner's body to be close to his; sharing each other's heat in intimate strokes. Within moments, he began to rip off all of his clothing expeditiously and threw them on the floor near Lemonfriend's. Little did Lemonfriend know Lemongrab had his own plan in his head to make this situation more romantic and exotic. He waited patiently for the shower to start gushing out its warm liquid in to the tub and for the shower curtain to be closed. Once he was happy Lemonfriend was in the shower and unable to see the door, he ever so slowly opened the silent door to sneak in. Lemongrab gently closed the door behind him and tip-toed towards the shower. He could just about see Lemonfriend's shadow through the curtain; he was facing the shower head letting the water hit his face to clean it. With very steady hands Lemongrab silently pulled back the curtain just enough for him to enter the bathtub and stand directly behind his significant other. Lemonfriend was none the wiser as he rubbed the top of his head promptly; avoiding the plaster on his head. Lemongrab was waiting for the perfect moment to spring on his oblivious lover. Lemonfriend moved his face and head away from the falling droplets of steamy water to rub his eyes and be able to see again. This gave Lemongrab the perfect opportunity to pounce. He got himself ready for the moment Lemonfriend let his hands drop from his face so he could open his eyes safely. He didn't want to get water in them. Finally, Lemonfriend was able to open his eyes and move his hands across his chest in a scrubbing motion. However he soon felt hands wrap around his body, pulling him in to a warm hug. He gasped from the sudden contact, but instantly relaxed when he saw it was just his lustrous lover. "Thought I said to wait in the other room?" He asked with a cheeky chuckle.

"I couldn't wait any longer. I need you." Lemongrab whispered in to Lemonfriend's ear sonorously. His slightly tight grip around Lemonfriend's waist meant that his partner could not turn around or move away. He was stuck in the trusting hands of Lemongrab. Said man then started to place delicate kisses on Lemonfriend's neck and top part of his shoulder. Lemonfriend relaxed his body in to the affectionate touches. He rolled his head back and sighed as Lemongrab's gentle hands rubbed his torso. The warm water streaming from the shower hit his body in small droplets. It massaged his skin with warmth. All the loving touches stimulated his muscles and skin.

Lemonfriend lifted his hand up and past his head to stoke the back of Lemongrab's head, to show his appreciation for the tenderness he was showing him. He moved his mouth nearer to Lemongrab's lips to sneak a subtle peck on the lips, only then to whisper sensually in to his ear. "If you let me go, I will show you how much I really want you." Lemongrab shivered with pleasure as his desires spiralled out of control again. He released his grip around Lemonfriend's waist but not before he plant a few final kisses on his neck and back. Lemonfriend spun round sluggishly and gazed in to Lemongrab's lustful eyes. They sparkled with hunger for more intimate strokes and touches. They both yearned for more. Lemonfriend reached up to press his lips against Lemongrab's for a zesty snog. Lemongrab found himself being slowly directed towards the showers wall. Soon he felt an intense chill impact his back as he fell on to the wall. He gasped from the sudden feeling of ice cold tiles on his back but soon relaxed back in to the lust-driven kiss.

Lemonfriend pulled away from the intense frenzy of kissing to place tiny kisses on Lemongrab's neck. He continued to kiss down Lemongrab's body. First his pecks, then his abdominals and finally his hip and his tip. Lemongrab took a sharp inhale of air and exhaled in hitched breaths. He was already semi erect. Just those subtle body touches had sent his body in to overdrive. He felt his fingers and toes go numb, as he shivered and shuddered with sexual emotions. This only intensified when Lemonfriend began to lick the head of Lemongrab's manhood with his strong tongue. Lemonfriend wanted to please his lover. Lemongrab's moans and groans were enough for him to become even more turned on and want more from his lover. With flirtatious and sexual ideas in his head, He fully engulfed Lemongrab's erection in to his mouth. His extraordinary length hit him at the back of the throat, as he continued to suck and flick his tongue on Lemongrab's erection. Lemongrab moaned with shaking breaths. The pleasure he was receive was overwhelming. Just like in the dream he had ages ago. Accept this wasn't a dream. Lemongrab gently stroked the top of Lemonfriend's head to show he loved the feeling he was giving him.

After more rhythmic sucks and strokes, Lemongrab felt himself creep closer to pure ecstasy. His body heat slowly increased due to the steamy room and the pleasure coursing throughout is entire body. He whimpered breathlessly to his lover as he edged closer and closer to the end. "Le...Lem..." He tried to spit out his words but it was hopeless. Feeling his climax was approaching abruptly, Lemongrab tried to wriggle away but his partner held him in place by holding his hips tightly. He chuckled cheekily while sucking, caressing and gently gripping Lemongrab's tender areas. Finally, Lemonfriend felt Lemongrab's whole body stiffen. Every muscle in his body became ridged as he exploded in to Lemonfriend's wet mouth. He lapped up every drop given by Lemongrab and licked his lips in a satisfied manner, before hauling himself up from his knees to look deeply in to his eyes. As for Lemongrab, he felt like he had been drained of energy. He puffed and panted to regain his lost breath and closed his eyes. Despite his weak knees, he was still able to keep himself upright; putting all his weight on his back and feet to keep himself from falling out of exhaustion.

"I see you enjoyed that." Whispered a flirty Lemonfriend. Lemongrab's only response was a tender kiss, as he pulled his partner closer in to his pulsing chest. Their excitement started to grow again; Lemonfriend was frantic. Lemongrab pulled away and reached up for the power button on the shower to stop the flow of warm droplets. Once it was closed, he leant down to pick up Lemonfriend's towel and wrapped it around the both of them. Lemonfriend snuggled in to Lemongrab's dripping body while he felt his back being stroked with the soft cotton; absorbing every single patch of water.

"How about we move this in to the other room?" Asked Lemongrab in his deep tone. He flicked his eyebrows making a flirty look. Then he added a small bite on his lip to make himself look alluring. Lemonfriend felt a wave pass over his whole body, as he accepted his request. The pair dried off their warm bodies and stumbled in to the other room where they would continue to share each other's touch and affection.

The morning glow broke over the horizon to awaken the sleeping candy people. Although the sun's beams of heat brought warmth to the crisp atmosphere, the wind would nip at your skin with a frozen bite. Lifting his arm from the covers to stretch out his back, Lemonfriend groaned a groggy yawn while his eyes adjusted to the bright, golden light. Once he relaxed his body again, he glanced over to his side to see Lemongrab dozing peacefully on his back and his head slumped away from him. Lemongrab's arm was raised and above his head, which gave him the perfect opportunity to snuggle in to his lovers side to feel the extra warmth radiating off of him. He crept closer to his lover's side and placed his weary head on Lemongrab's muscular chest. In reaction to the sudden affect, Lemongrab awoke slightly; his eyes were still shut, but he was awake enough to put his arm around his partner. "Good morning." Whispered Lemonfriend. Lemongrab smiled while pulling the sleepy lemon man closer to his side.

"Morning, how'd you sleep?" He asked. His significant other chuckled and began to draw circles on Lemongrab's torso.

"Well, I slept well for the few hours we had left." He said cheekily. Lemongrab chuckled at Lemonfriend's humorous statement.

"I guess things just... Took over and we lost track of time."

"Exactly." Lemonfriend snuggled up to Lemongrab more by placing his arm over his stomach and delicately pulled him closer.

Lemongrab wanted to stay in the moment for the whole day. The bed was cosy, his eyes were heavy from his lack of sleep and he shared it all with Lemonfriend. His true love. Sadly, the moment had to come to an abrupt end, as Lemongrab suddenly remembered about the deal he made with the princess last night. He felt his heart race from panic. He whipped his head round to the clock.

Blurred.

Grabbing his glasses, he leaned closer to the clock and disturbed Lemonfriend's doze. 10:56! "Shit!" He exclaimed. He darted out of bed, much to Lemonfriend's disappointment.

"What's wrong?" Asked a tired Lemonfriend. Lemongrab was quick to explain.

"I'm meant to be meeting the princess in 5 minutes and I'm not even dressed!" Lemongrab frantically gathered up his clothes and began to dress himself at an extraordinary speed, almost falling over several times. Once he was happy with his messy appearance, he scrambled to Lemonfriend to kiss him goodbye. "Sorry for shooting off like this. I'll see you later." He pecked him on the lips and spam round towards the door.

"It's okay. Have fun." Lemongrab was almost out of the room before Lemonfriend called his name again. "Oh and before you go..." Lemongrab glanced back. "Your shirt is back to front." Lemongrab peered down to see the small label just below his chin. He sighed heavily and hastily corrected his shirt by drawing his arms in and spinning the shirt around. Finally he was presentable enough to see the princess for a much needed chat.

Lemongrab quickly jogged down the freezing cold corridors towards the princess' lab worrying that he was going to be late for his friendly meeting. He darted past many castle staff member that were going about their daily routines in the land of candy. Now puffing and panting, he finally arrived at the door to the princess' lab. The place she spends most of her time and energy. He knocked the door calmly and awaited his invitation inside. "Come in." Lemongrab heard the sweet voice speak out to him, so he carefully opened this heavy door. Peaking his head round, he saw the princess walking towards the table and chairs in the middle of the room. It was covered with a pure white sheet and a tray was placed in the middle. There was 1 pot of filled with tea and two cups on opposite sides of the tray near each seat. "Ah, Lemongrab! Just on time. Please take a seat." Lemongrab happily obliged and planted himself on the seat to the right.

"Thanks PB." He glanced at her clock on the wall. 11:02. Somehow he was able to get dressed and get from Lemonfriend's room to PB lab in less than 10 Minutes. It say it wasn't a miracle would be a lie. "I was actually scared I would be late. I only woke up 10 minutes ago"

"Oh. How come?" Lemongrab felt his cheeks burn red. He wasn't going to tell her the kinky details about his night, so he just told a tiny white lie.

"I… I just over-slept." It wasn't a complete, but he knew she didn't want the sordid details.

"Really? You spelt in until almost 11? You're usually up quite early." Said the curious princess.

"Yeah… I was just really tired from last night. You know…fighting the ice king and worrying about Lemonfriend." The princess poured out the tea in to the cups and filled them to the brim.

"Finn told me this morning what you did yesterday." She put the teapot back on to the silver tray and served the tea, before she took her seat. "It sounded like you were very brave."

"Well, I did what I thought was right." Lemongrab picked up his cup and held in his hands and placed them on his lap.

"Of course! Someone needed to teach the ice king a lesson on kidnapping people." Lemongrab became intrigued.

"You mean he's done this before?"

"Many times sadly, but luckily Finn and Jake are able to help or people can just escape easily." The princess took a small sip of her hot tea and snuggled it to keep her warm. "I'm glad you were able to find Lemonfriend."

"I was so relieved when I found him and thankful he wasn't hurt… or worse." Lemongrab suddenly thought about how would feel if he ever lost Lemonfriend. The first word that sprang to mind was lonely.

"Well, luckily he wasn't and now he's back home. Did you happen to see how he was on you mad rush on the way here?" Lemongrab felt flushed again.

"Umm, no but I sure he's ok now." The princess nodded in agreement and took a sip of her tea. As did Lemongrab. The princess contemplated her next statement as to whether it would sound weird. "I know this might sound weird…" Lemongrab's attention was gripped and waiting for the rest of her sentence. "…But I'm so glad you and Lemonfriend are together." Lemongrab felt slightly confused by her remark.

"That's not weird to me but I'm very confused as to what you mean." Confessed Lemongrab.

"Well… I did create him to be with you, well, not like that but you both seem so happy now. He needed a loving companion after what happened to him and his ex." Lemongrab had a sudden rush of guilt wash over him.

"Rogan? Right?" Asked Lemongrab.

"How did you know about his ex?" Questioned PB

"He told me about him a while ago. Sounded like a nasty piece of work." Lemongrab experienced a wave of fury while he thought about the story Lemonfriend told him. It twisted his gut.

"Yes, I hated him for that." The princess wanted to get off this topic as soon as possible, so steered the conversation away. "But now you are a different person and the perfect person to be with; which is why Lemonfriend loves you so much." Lemongrab chuckled sheepishly and finished his cup of tea in one quick swig. "You think I'm just saying that but he's forever telling me how happy you make him."

"Really? Well, I glad because he makes me feel happy and wanted as well." The princess' happy expression soon turned upside-down. Something had disheartened her, but it was a secret to Lemongrab. "What's wrong? Did I say something bad?"

"No no, it's just… Ever since you've come back, I've felt guilty." She put her empty cup on the white table cloth and sighed deeply.

"Why do you feel guilty?" Lemongrab felt concerned for his creator and gave her his full attention.

"Well, look at you. That's just over one year of training and you were in a worse state than when I first created you. I feel that if I had the time and patience to help you from the start, all of those events would never have happened." The princess frowned in a depressed manner and averted her eyes away from his.

"Never think like that. I was a handful and it took a team of professional to help. And if those events never happened, Lemonfriend would have never been created and I would still be lonely in a way. So don't think you have to apologise because I understand." Princess bubblegum peered up to look in to his glistening, kind eyes and felt instantly calm.

"Thank you Lemongrab, it really is good having you around." She smiled sweetly at her creation who gave her a friendly grin.

"Thank you for putting up with me." They began to chuckle lightly. Before Lemongrab left to continue with his day, he helped PB by clearing the table of cups. As both of them worked together, the tidying up was swift. Before he left, he gave the princess a heart-felt hug and left her to her science. Feeling relaxed and elated he carried on with his care-free day.


	16. Chapter 15-Christmas tears

Winter. A season where tiny flakes of purity fall from the light grey sky. Where candy people like to step though the snow and hear the crunch of the cold ground, only to know that they will be greeted by warm, inviting homes. In the castle, the corridors are usually chilly due to the winter air sweeping though the never-ending hallways. However, all the room are delightfully cosy in comparison to what's outside the doors.

In PB's laboratory, all 6 of our heroes were sat around the table, brainstorming ideas for Christmas. Esme, Lemongrab and Lemonfriend were sat together on one side of the table and opposite them sat PB, Finn and Jake. Every year, PB would come up with a festive idea to celebrate Christmas with everyone in the kingdom. Although she always comes up with something great, this year she was struggling for plans on what to do, which is why everyone had congregated to help her out. "Maybe we could do a competition to get citizens involved with Christmas." Suggested Jake.

"We can't, I've already done that." Sighed a fed-up princess. They all wracked their brains further, trying to think of any input. It was useless. That was until Esme had an idea light up in her mind.

"What about a music festival." The princess searched through her memories to find any connections as to whether she had done anything along those lines. Nothing sprung to mind.

"hmm, I don't think we've done something like that before." Said PB. "We could expand this. Anyone got any additions to this?" Princess bubblegum examined everyone's blank expressions. Out of the blue, Finn's face lit up.

"What about if we ask people to perform their music live. It gives them the opportunity to promote their band." Finn's idea made the spirit of the room lift up to the roof. Finally, after what felt like forever, it seemed like the group had at last got their basic idea for Christmas.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea Finn." Agreed Lemonfriend. "Maybe you could play your guitar with Esme, Lemongrab." Lemonfriend tapped his partner on the shoulder while making his suggestion. Lemongrab felt his face heat up from embarrassment and pressure.

"That's not happening." He chuckled. Esme gave him a mischievous look.

"I didn't know you played guitar, LG." Voice Finn. "That's so cool." Jake nodded his head in agreement with Finn. As for Lemongrab, he was trying to find a way out of the situation he was just forced in to.

"We use to play at the unit to the patients. I would sing and Lemongrab would play guitar and be my back up vocals." Esme was teasing Lemongrab further in to his worse nightmare. He loved to play but to an audience seemed impossible; what if he messed up? "Go on LG, you're good." Lemongrab showed his disagreement in a quiet snort and shake of his head.

"I don't think I can do it in front of that many people. I'll get stage fright and mess up." Esme rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Have a think about it. You might change your mind." Proposed the Princess.

"Maybe." Lemongrab felt a gentle hand being placed on his forearm. When he turned his head, he was captured by the begging gaze of Lemonfriend. His big brown eyes were begging him to play. He had never heard LG play because he always shies away from it. But with the help of Lemonfriend's cute expression, Lemongrab was able to give a straight answer. "Alright, I suppose I can. As long as Esme does it with me."

"Of course, it will be like the good old days." Teased Esme. Lemongrab chuckled contently, but he couldn't shake the feeling of regret he had piling up inside his stomach.

"Brilliant, now we know what we're doing we can get started with invitations and planning." Chirped the Princess, as she excitedly clapped her hands and bounced subtly in her chair. "Thank you guys for taking some time out of your day to help out. I appreciate it a lot."

"That's alright PB, anytime." Said Finn. He was very abrupt with his reply and Jake knew exactly why. Jake rolled his eyes at his love struck brother. And with that, the group disbanded and went their separate ways. PB was with Lemonfriend going right, Finn and Jake probable strolled off to look for trouble or create it and Esme and Lemongrab were going left to the training hall. The pair of new fighters didn't get very far before Lemongrab's name was called out by the other lemon man. When LG turned around he saw his other half jogging towards him with an upbeat expression.

"What time do you think you'll finish training?" He asked. Lemongrab was unsure as it always depended on what they were doing. He glanced to Esme for an estimate, which she was able to calculate and give.

"Like, just before 1 o'clock." She stated.

"Cool, can I meet you in your room before we go off today?" Queried Lemonfriend.

"Of course, that's fine. I'll see you later." They both stepped closer in to a small peck on the lips to say a loving goodbye to each other. Lemonfriend jogged back to PB who was waiting patiently for her younger creation to return; she was smiling contently at the couple. The pair turned round and began their journey to the hall to start their hard work and train. They were silent for a few moments before Esme thought about teasing her friend, like she always does.

"Meeting in your room…wonder what he wants." Teased the childish lady. Lemongrab rolled his eyes in a fed up manner, but he was still able to see the joke side of it.

"I don't think he wants that." Esme was about to defend herself but Lemongrab was quick to stop her. "And I know you're going to try and say you didn't mean it like that, but I know you and you totally meant it that way."

"Not at all…Well maybe, but you never know." Esme's voice made the last line in to a short tune to make it seem cheekier.

"Can we just move on to a different topic please?" He asked politely. Esme happily agreed as the awkwardness she created had gone through the roof.

"Sure. How about the topic of what we are going to perform at the Christmas festival?" The heavy feeling of regret plummeted to the bed of his belly, like a piece of lead falling from a great height.

"Why did I say yes to that?" He questioned his decision over and over again in his head. "Why? Why? Why?!" Esme stroked his shouldered in a friendly manner to try and calm his overwhelming fear.

"Don't worry LG. You don't realise how good you are." Her efforts did not stop him from dismissing the vision of him messing up on stage and everyone laughing at him. He let out the disgruntled sigh that a tired teenager would make. "How about we do the song you made for Lemonfriend?" The mere mention of using one of his own songs made his nerves multiple by the millions.

"No way! I will perform if I have to but not one of my mine." He defended himself and stood by his action. Esme gave in easily by the expression he held of pure terror.

"Well, your songs are good, but if you don't want to, you don't have to." She explained. Lemongrab sighed a deep sigh of relief. It was bad enough to be performing in front of people, but to use one of his own songs would make it even worse.

"Thank you. Anyway, i haven't finished that song and I wanted to sing it to him privately. There's less pressure then." He admitted. Esme could understand how he felt. She didn't want to push him too much as she knew about his stage fright. At the unit it took weeks of practise and persuasion to get him to even stand on stage in front of people, but he then got use to the audience so was more comfortable. Now he has a new and bigger audience to please; he must be terrified.

"You've got this Lemongrab. I know you will be great." Lemongrab took a deep breathe in and calmed his emotions.

"Thanks I hope you're right." The pair finally arrived at the training hall to begin their hard work training.

The candy Kingdom had been feeling less safe for an unknown reason. Citizens had recalled seeing suspicious behaviour going on near the kingdoms perimeter, which sparked concern from the princess. She had become very tense and cautious ever since the first eye-witness testimony came through to her and the banana guard. Everyone was on high alert for any weird behaviour. Esme and Lemongrab had been putting every ounce of their blood, sweat and tears in to their practise to perfect their technique and help make the kingdom and its residents feel happier and safer. However, I had gone quiet for now, so everyone was on the edge of their seat waiting to see what the future would bring. Good or bad? They didn't know, but they were ready for any surprises. Esme and Lemongrab were done with their training so bided each other a fond farewell and parted their ways. They both needed some TLC right after training, as their muscle always feel torn and achy after practise. Time for a bath or massage.

By the time Lemongrab got back to his chamber, it was about 12:45. He needed to take a well deserved shower to wash away the sweat drowning his body, so he quickly undressed himself and leapt in to the shower basin to let the relaxing water soothe his entire anatomy. Although the warm droplets were extremely pleasant, he couldn't be very long as he was meeting Lemonfriend soon, so needed to be ready. Hopping out of the shower, he dabbed over this body to soak up the drops of pure water left on his body. Once he was happy, he wrapped the towel around his waist and journeyed in to his main bedroom. The staff must have been as when he came back out his gym shirt, shorts and everything else had been taken to be washed. Well at least he hoped they were taken for washing.

He routed around in his wardrobe and picked out a long-sleeved, grey chequered shirt and a pair of black trousers. It was casual but warm at the same time. Whilst waiting in his room for Lemonfriend, he was curious as to why they needed to meet together before they went out? Why couldn't he tell him while they were on the date? Whatever he wanted was unbeknownst to Lemongrab. All he could do was wait and hope. Hope that everything was ok.

Ting! The clock struck 1:00. Knowing Lemonfriend and how organised he usually is, he should be knocking on the ancient, wooden door very soon. Lemongrab was sat patiently on the bed strumming his delicate guitar. He wanted to add as much practise in as possible before he had to perform. Although he was absolutely dreading it, he just imagined Lemonfriend's proud expression in the audience. This gave him hope and a reason to play. All of a sudden, there were two subtle knocks on the door. Lemongrab placed his instrument back down by the dresser and jogged towards the door. "Hey." He said as he greeted his partner. "Come on in." He invited Lemonfriend in to his private chamber. He noticed how tense and anxious he was as he walked past him when he held the door open for him. He barely spoke and his face had little expression; just a subtle frown. Lemongrab closed the door gently to give them some privacy so they could talk. "Hey, what's up with you? You look so glum." Lemonfriend gazed in to his eyes tenderly and lovingly, but behind his expression, nervousness was being concealed.

"I'm so scared." His statement was barely audible but in the silent room it was easily understood. Lemongrab's heart felt like it was suddenly turned in to stone. It dropped right down in to his stomach and weighed down his emotions.

"What? What's wrong?" He stepped closer to his lover and gently placed his hands on his upper arms for comfort. He tried to gain eye-contact but Lemonfriend just kept looking down at the stone, cold floor. "Lemonfriend please tell me." The lemon in question took a very deep breath in.

"We've had another eyewitness statement come through. It came yesterday evening." Lemongrab felt quite confused. Was he scared for the kingdom? "The description of the person acting suspicious matched...Rogan's appearance." No...It couldn't be.

"Rogan?! Your ex?" Lemonfriend nodded. His arms were crossed, giving him that added feeling of security. He was closed from the world. "But...I thought he was banished far away."

"He's meant to be!" Snapped Lemonfriend. He quickly stopped his abrupt speech and adjusted his posture and emotions. "Sorry, I'm just so...terrified." A small, single teardrop run down Lemonfriend's cheek and was halted by the corner of his mouth.

"Don't be scared." Whispered Lemongrab, as he drew his partner in to the safety of his arms. His voice was softer than a fluffy pillow, which helped to calm Lemonfriend's anxiety. He embraced the hug by pulling Lemongrab closer to feel protected in his vulnerable state. "I promise I will protect you." Vowed Lemongrab. "The castle is guarded on high alert, so no one or nothing can sneak in." Lemonfriend nodded to show he understood how protected he was. He had nothing to worry about.

"I know, it's just horrible to think he might be back to haunt me again." The spaced, hitched word spoken by a dejected Lemonfriend filled the room with fear and despair. Lemongrab tried to lighten up the chilly room with his comforting word, but it didn't stop the anxiety emitting off of Lemonfriend.

"If he is here, I won't let anything happen to you or anyone else. I vow to keep you safe." He declared. Lemonfriend stepped back from the hug and peered up to Lemongrab with watery eyes. Finally a smile had managed to crawl its way across his face.

"Thank you. What would I do without you?" He said tenderly as he stroked Lemongrab's cheek. Lemongrab just smiled exultantly and held on to his hand.

"It's fine." Those were the last words voiced by Lemongrab on this distressing topic. He was quick to change the subject back to main reason for meeting up. "Now, how about we stop worrying and go out to get lunch. Hey?" Suggested a chirpy Lemongrab. Lemonfriend nodded in agreement with a slightly bigger smile placed on his lips. The couple turned to the creaky door and opened it to free themselves from the room. All of lemonfriends concerns vanished, as he held on to Lemongrab's strong hand and strolled off to enjoy the rest of his day without his worrying keeping him grounded to just the safety of his stuffy room.

It had become a small tradition for the lemon men to go to cosy, traditional pubs or cafes to relax and discuss maters to do with recent events or their relationship; they had to find a place indoors since the sacred, hidden forest area was freezing in the winter time. Today, they had decided to venture in to the new coffee shop that had been opened up recently. It had a much more modern design with glass tables and counter tops, pastel blue walls covered with pictures and one large wallpapered wall with dark blue patterns that were symmetrical. Chatting, laughing and gossiping would be heard throughout the building, as candy people congregated within the warm confines to talk to each other. Lemongrab and Lemonfriend were sat at a small, circular table which had a pretty flower in a wide, short vase placed in the middle. They had both got a soothing lemon tea to sip on during their time together. The yellow, steaming liquid came in a pure white tea cup; whiter than the snow outside. Sipping on the boiling contents, Lemonfriend started to ease answers out of his partner. "So, tell me honestly, how are you feeling about playing at the festival?" He asked. Lemongrab paused to collect his thought about it before answering.

"In all honesty, terrified." Admitted Lemongrab. "But I'll be fine, just need to practise."

"I'm sorry; I didn't know everyone would take what I said seriously. I was only teasing." Lemongrab raised his eyebrow to show his discomfort with what he said. What did he mean by 'seriously'? Lemonfriend spotted his sudden expression change and rapidly justified his words. "Not saying that you can't play or that people don't think you can. Just that I know you don't like playing in front of people, and I though they knew as well." Lemongrab gave out an incoherent moan that resembled an "oh" to show he believed what was spoken.

"I can play in front of people it's just that it's a bigger, new audience who knows my past." He said. Lemonfriend downed half of the liquid in his cup and nodded to show he grasped his point.

"That's understandable, but why don't you playing in front of me?" Questioned Lemonfriend. Lemongrab never realised that he had kept his music skills silent in front of Lemonfriend. He didn't mean to.

"Really? I haven't?" He pondered. Lemonfriend shook his head in reply to his lover. "Well you never asked me to play and it's rude to just start playing guitar when you're with me." Lemongrab sipped his tea once he had explained his actions of not playing to Lemonfriend yet.

"Well... I'll ask now. Can I hear you play soon? I'm curious to see how good you are." Teased a cheery Lemonfriend.

"Sure, you can hear me play, but don't get your hopes up." Replied Lemongrab. Lemonfriend shook his head in disagreement in regards to his 'warning' about his playing skills. He was getting tired of his pessimistic attitude towards himself. He needed to be more confident in himself. He had the heart of a lion, but he let his mind tame it. A flirtatious thought appeared in Lemonfriend head that would keep Lemongrab quiet. While Lemongrab took the last gulp of his cup, he sprung his idea in to action.

"You'll be great. Well...that is if your playing skills are as good as your bedroom skills." Lemongrab almost choked on the last remaining drops of his tea. He splattered a few drops past his lips before he covered his mouth with his large hand. Lemonfriend just giggled childishly. His plan worked; Lemongrab was stunned by his blunt statement. A speechless Lemongrab tried to sassily make a come back but nothing came to mind. It was like a fog had covered his mind, making his come backs unclear.

"That's a very...bold statement." Said a blushing Lemongrab. Lemonfriend placed their cups on the tray ready to be taken away and leant forward nearer to Lemongrab with a glimmer of passion in his eyes.

"I can't help it if it's true." Whispered Lemonfriend. Lemongrab's cheeks felt as hot as the blazing sun. "Shall we get going?" Lemonfriend's desire that sparkled in his eyes burnt out extremely quickly. Tugging his coat on to his shoulders, he stood up from his comfy seat.

"Yeah... Sure." Lemongrab sheepishly replied. The two Lemonmen left the warm, inviting cafe to start their journey back to their sugary home. Walks in the winter breeze always felt warmer for them as they had each other to cuddle close to for extra heat. Lemongrab had his hands in his pockets while Lemonfriend had treaded his arm through the gap and clang on to feel closer to his partner. It always made them feel pleased to see their people out and about with other candy people; they seemed happier. On their way back to the castle, they saw Lemoncat, a person with a cat's head. He was on cloud nine while he played with some love heart citizens in the snow. Around the playful group was snow angels scattered in an unorganised fashion, like they were too excited to think about what they were doing. At the time the lovers past them, they were in the middle of a heated game of snowball wars.

"It makes me so happy to see our people playing and enjoying life finally." Admitted Lemongrab. "They deserve to feel safe now." Lemonfriend placed his head on Lemongrab's shoulder to show his affection.

"Yeah, I love it too." Stated Lemonfriend. "At first it was weird, seeing the candy citizens and lemon people together, but now it's like they've been here forever." Lemonfriend sighed contently as he reminisced about the first few nights in the candy Kingdom and the castle of sweetness. He remembered how safe he felt and...He felt welcome...right from the start. He began to ponder about how Lemongrab felt on his first time living here permanently. "How did you find it? The first few nights you stayed here." Asked Lemonfriend.

"They were great. The nights were quiet so I could sleep and the beds are comfortable. What's not to like?" Lemongrab glanced back to his citizen. Lemoncat had a massive grin on his face as he dogged a humongous snowball flying towards him. Something about seeing his citizens sparked a memory in Lemongrab. Suddenly he had a burning question to ask Lemonfriend. So, with no hesitation he opened his mouth and delivered his question. "Hey Lemonfriend, I have a question." He said.

"Fire away." Lemongrab took a deep breath and asked his burning query.

"If all our citizens are here, where is Lemonhope?" Lemonfriend's eyes widened. He was reluctant to tell him the truth, as this new Lemongrab might panic for their lemon child.

"Well...he wanted to be free." Lemonfriend started his sentence but kept getting interrupted by his partner.

"I though you, PB and Finn already freed him." He queried.

"We did but he wanted to be free from everyone, so he...went off on his own... To find his freedom." Lemongrab felt a wave a guilt wash over his entire being. He pulled back his arm away from Lemonfriend; much to his disappointment.

"You mean to tell me he's out there all on his own?!" Lemonfriend could see the worry build in Lemongrab's eyes. He thought Lemongrab hated... Nay detested Lemonhope, yet now he is looking like a worried father who has lost his child.

"I thought you didn't like Lemonhope." Said a confused Lemonfriend.

"Yes, maybe I did but he's still one of our creations." Lemongrab presented a melancholy expression as he explained his actions. "He may of annoyed me with his harp, but remember I saw the error of my ways and all I want now is the best for the people I hurt." Lemonfriend felt his stomach twist with sympathy for his partner. He tried to explain the situation but had little success as he kept being stpped.

"Well he went off ages ago. Anyway don't panic, he's fine..."

"How do you know?" Snapped a stressed Lemongrab.

"We receive letters from him explaining how he is free now and has a partnership with his friend, Phlannel Boxingday." Lemongrab let his shoulders drop from their tense position and breathed out his worries.

"That's good I suppose." Lemongrab put his warm hands back in his pockets to stop the chilling winds attacking them with their freezing cold bite. He pointed out his elbow to signal to Lemonfriend he could thread his arm back through, which he did immediately. Soon their stroll along the icy path was underway again as they finished the journey to the candy castle and their rooms.

The two lemon men were sat on the king sized, blood red bed in LG's cosy room. They had come back from their coffee date and were lazily chilling in his room before they said goodbye to each other. The curtains were drawn, concealing them from the winter wonderland outside. They had just two lamps on, one on his draws and one by his bed, which emitted an ambient lighting to add to the warm feel already lingering in the room. LG had his guitar in hand and was just showing his lover some simple licks and riffs when they heard a subtle knock on the door. "Come in." Voiced Lemongrab. From Behind the door, Esme strolled in with a cute yet kind of large notebook and pen only to stop in her tracks when she saw Lemonfriend sat casually next to Lemongrab on the bed.

"Oh sorry, am I disrupting anything?" She asked shyly.

"No no, I'm just showing Lemonfriend some riffs I know." Esme let out a sigh of relieve. "Anyway, what's up?" He asked as he led his guitar on the bed in front of him.

"I came to discuss what song we should do for the festival." Announced Esme. "But we can do it another time if you guys want to be alone."

"Oh no, don't let me stop you." Assured Lemonfriend. Lemongrab nodded his head in agreement before added on to his lovers' sentence.

"Yeah, Lemonfriend knows some songs. He could help and make it a team effort." Esme consented to their offer and gently closed the door and wandered over to the table and chair set. She picked up one of the white, wooden chairs and brought it over to the side of the bed. Lemongrab held his guitar in the playing position again, whilst Lemonfriend moved to the edge of the bed to make a triangle shape.

"Right I got my notebook here with all the songs we know or have done. Lemonfriend If you come up with a good song idea then please don't hesitate to say." Chattered an excitable Esme. Lemonfriend glanced at the notebook. It was almost overflowing with bits of scrap paper and had a string travelling around the middle to keep it shut.

"I'm not sure you need my help." He chuckled. "But I will say if anything springs to mind."

"Cool, let's start putting ideas together." Said Esme. She untied the bow of string around her ancient journal and flipped over to the first page. On the page, there were numbers for dividers which were all labelled with things like love, comedy, hateful and much more. They all seemed to be song means. On number 4 it had 'Christmas favourites' written in a gold glitter pen and had festive drawings along the line. It kind of looked like a child had designed it. However, the boys noticed how old and tatty the book appeared, so they guessed she had had this book since she was young; so cute but it had a hint of sadness about it. Lemongrab knew of Esme's past and wondered if she had lots of close memories of her family in there. Nevertheless, he buried his worries away from everything and focused the delightful moment he was a part of. She tenderly turned the tenuous pages to the fourth divider and revealed the lyrics of the songs to the boys. "Hmm, some of these songs are a little... Predictable."

"What do you mean?" Questioned Lemongrab.

"Well, these songs are well known so I reckon more people will play them. We want ours to be unique." Explained the fussy girl. She positioned herself and the book sideways so the boys could read some of the songs. They scanned the page and decided whether it was the right song or not. So far they had found none and the pages just kept being gingerly turned over. That was until Lemongrab spotted the perfect song.

"Wait, please could I hold it for a moment." He asked politely. Esme was more than happy to past her beloved, treasured item to her beloved friend.

"Sure, just be careful. The pages are very flimsy." Esme past the fragile book over to Lemongrab. He held the book so the page he wanted was covered from peering eyes.

"I found the perfect one." He declared.

"Great, can we see?" Asked an impatient Lemonfriend. Lemongrab held the book against his chest and gave his partner a saucy grin.

"Sorry, but I want this to be a surprise." He winked at his disgruntled lover. Lemonfriend used his puppy dog eyes to try and coax the song out of him, but it had a negative response. "I'm not gunna tell you, I want this to be a loving surprise."

"How are you going to practise the song while I'm here?" Queried Lemonfriend. Lemongrab moved his lip to the side and scowled. He hadn't thought about that. Lemonfriend sighed in a fed up manner but still held a grin on his face. "Don't worry, I'll leave." He hopped up from the cloud-like bed and paced over to the door. Lemongrab placed the book softly on the bed with the pages facing down to keep the song a secret. He leapt up and bounced off the bed, running towards his partner and grabbing his waist in an effort to say a loving goodbye.

"I'm sorry; I just want to surprise you." He whimpered in to Lemonfriend's neck. Lemonfriend sighed again. He calmly pulled away from his lover to turn his body and look in to his kind eyes.

"It's fine." Chuckled Lemonfriend. "But just so you know how I feel, I also have a 'loving' surprise for you but I wasn't going to tell you. Know you have to wait until nearer the festival." Lemongrab's smug grin was replaced rapidly by a confused and dazed expression. Lemonfriend just lent forward to kiss his lover tenderly with an evil, flirty grin on his face. Cheerfully, Lemonfriend bided a fond farewell to the pair and swiftly exited the room. Lemongrab dawdled back to his spot on the bed and plonked himself down.

"Well now I know how annoying it is." Esme chuckled girlishly at her love struck friend.

"He got you good. In more ways than one." She teased. LG chortled silently and return to the book placed by his side. Picking it up, he moved the book nearer to Esme so she could glance at the song he chose. "Dream a little dream?" She spoke in a pessimistic manner. "Why that one? It's not really a Christmas song."

"Exactly, so no one will sing it and if you read the lyrics it could be hinted towards Lemonfriend, from me." After explaining his choice it made more sense to the fruit girl. The lyrics did tie in to them. The song is aimed towards couples in general but some lyrics matched them a lot more. Like 'sweet dreams that leave your worries behind you, but in your dreams where every they be, dream a little dream of me'. Lemongrab always had dreams of Lemonfriend that made him long for him and never failed to relax him.

"Aww, now that I think about it, this song is pretty good." Esme delicately placed her book of memories on the dark bedside table and rubbed her hands together to mimic how she was ready to commence the hours of practising that awaited them in the near future. "Right, we don't have that long so let's get started straight away. Its practise practice practice if we want to nail this." Declared the elated Esme. She withdrew the sheet music from the page for Lemongrab to read and play along to while she scanned over the lyrics to remind herself of the song. While Lemongrab grabbed his glassed so he could read the music, Esme started to peer at the opening. That was when she realised something. "Wait LG, it's a duet. You have to start then I sing with you." Lemongrab felt his tummy flip with anxiety. Should he sing?

"Damn it! Can't we miss that bit?" He pleaded. Esme groaned and shook her head which held a pitiful expression. She tried to reassure her dear friend, but it didn't stop the overwhelming nerves flowing through his body.

"Besides you have a lovely voice now." Reasoning with the paranoid Lemongrab was almost impossible. However, Esme had one final trick up her sleeve that should make him conform to her wish. "I reckon it would mean a lot to Lemonfriend if you did sing, then it's more personal." Lemongrab peered at her with an irritated expression as her persistent nagging was starting to wind him up. Nevertheless, hearing her valid point made him consider the idea further.

"Well, I guess it would." He admitted. Esme past him the lyrics and sheet music to scan over.

"You'll be great." Lemongrab still wasn't fully sure if he wanted to do this. "We will work hard at this and it will be perfect. Now, just relax and get use to the cords and notes."

The music seemed to be simple enough, so he began to strum the strings to get the notes out. It started with single string picks then progressed in to cords as the main lyrics came in. The song was sounding good so far, even with the few incorrect picks as he kept catching the string below the one he wanted.

Within 20 minutes Esme was happy to start singing her part over the top of the music. Lemongrab was going to wait for a bit before he began to sing. One of his singing parts may have been the starting paragraph, but he wanted a little longer to practise the strumming style and pattern of the music. Esme's voice was sexy and angelic, suiting the Jazzy-style song perfectly. Although they were having fun, Esme really wanted to hear Lemongrab sing. She knew he could do it; it was just a matter of teasing out his confidence. "I got an idea." She acknowledged. Lemongrab glanced at her in an interested manner. "You say you can't sing until you know the riff perfectly."

"Yeah, it needs to be like second nature before I can mulit-task." He added. Esme wondered if that was just an excuse because she has heard him before, by accident, just strumming without thought and singing over the top of it. From out of the blue, she imagined up a deal to get him to sing.

"Well, I need to hear you so..." She put her hands out like she wanted a hug, but her real intension was far from that. "Pass over your guitar please and I will play the riff while you sing the start, that's all I want for now." Lemongrab reluctantly gave her his guitar and cleared his throat while scanning over the lyrics. Esme started the riff peacefully and in time. She just needed Lemongrab to come in with his part at the beginning and she will be happy. It was getting ever so close to his part as he composed himself ready to sing. It was only Esme in the room, why was he so nervous? He counted in his head along to the notes, so he came in at the right moment. 3, 2, 1... Sing.

"Stars shine bright above you,

Night breezes seem to whisper I love you,

Birds singing in the sycamore tree,

Dream a little dream of me."

He sang the lyrics beautifully, but Esme didn't stop her riffs. "Perfect, go to the bit we have together." She commanded. He did as he was told as the pair of them sang in harmony.

"Say nighty night and kiss me,

Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me,

While I'm alone and blue as can be,

Dream a little dream of me."

Esme stopped the song abruptly and peered at Lemongrab joyfully. "That was perfect!" She exclaimed. "This song is gunna rock." Lemongrab chuckled at his excitable friend but he had to say...it did sound great.

"It was very cool, I have to say." He admitted. Esme was overjoyed. The events of the festival played out in her head and everything she saw made her feel giddy inside with excitement. "Well, now we know what we're doing, we can relax a bit more." As she finished her sentence, she positioned the guitar against the chair and released her upright posture and lead back. Lemongrab let his body go lose as he fell back in to the head board. They both let out a deep sigh of relieve as they finally took a break with their spirits higher than the clouds.

Just over 1 and a half weeks later and after hours and hours of practise, Lemongrab had but one night left before his anticipated curtain call on Christmas day. Glancing at his clock, he acknowledged the time. 9:30pm. Only moments earlier he was with Esme setting up and telling the stage organiser what they wanted and where to have it put. Their set was extremely simple. All they needed was a microphone stand for Lemongrab to sing in to as Esme could carry hers while she wondered aimlessly around the stage. No back drop, just a tape with the piano and light drumming track to accompany Lemongrab's guitar. 'Everything was prepared.' He assured himself over and over again that nothing was going to go wrong, but somehow thoughts of embarrassment flooded his exhausted mind. He decided he should start to slip in to his peaceful sleep to help get rid of some of his nerves. Maybe a good night sleep will help to rejuvenate him for the next evening. Placing his weary head on his fluffy pillow was an extraordinarily pleasant experience after the long, stressful day he had. By just 10:15 his body had gone completely limp in to the trusting hold of his sumptuous bed. As his eyes softly closed, he peacefully entered a deep sleep to revive his soul, body and mind.

11:27 appeared on the clock in Lemongrab's room. With arms spread out and laying on his strong back, Lemongrab was still being held in his sleeping state, when suddenly the latch on his ancient door clicked open. The unaware Lemongrab was too far gone in his dreams to be awoken by the audible click of his door. It opened ever so slowly to avoid further noises, like the high pitched shriek of the hinges. Peaking their head round, the body let themselves in to the room and closed the door with the up most care. Lemongrab had no reason to panic; his visitor was just Lemonfriend holding a long package, wrapped in brown paper with cream coloured string holding some of folds together. He was ready to 'deliver his surprise'. He crept nearer to Lemongrab and checked if he was still asleep. Heavy breaths indicated he was fast asleep and should stay in that state for Lemonfriend's plan.

Lemonfriend set his idea in to action. Once he placed the package on the stone ground, he began by unbuttoning his shirt and stroking it off of his supple skin. Next, he silently unbuckled his jeans and slipped them off of his legs.

Finally, he placed his thumbs in to the band of his boxers and pulled them all the way down his long legs. The next step will be slightly trickier as they included touching Lemongrab and making sure he is undisturbed from his slumber. Lemonfriend picked up the bottom of the pure red bed covers and slowly pushed them up and over his head. Lemongrab didn't move at all so he commenced the other steps cautiously. First he had to untie the laces that help to keep Lemongrab's trousers on while he tosses and turns on bed. Bam! The deed was done. All he had to do now was gently pull down Lemongrab's soft pyjama bottoms so his lower regions were exposed. Lemonfriend pulled the band towards himself so he could put his hands inside the trousers and expanded the elastic so they didn't rub against Lemongrab's legs, waking him up. After some clever manoeuvres from Lemonfriend, Lemongrab's trouser bottoms were half way down his thigh. During this process, Lemongrab did wriggle ever so subtly but he was still amerced within his dream land.

As Lemongrab was still innocently asleep and unaware of what was about to happen, Lemonfriend decided to put him out of his unknown misery and delicately held on to his manhood, right before he engulfed this length. It took a mere suck to draw Lemongrab back to reality, as he moved his limbs gingerly to signal his crash back to the real world.

As he opened his eyes, he was shocked to feel something near his lower half. His sleepy eyes widened when he peered down to witness a hidden head bobbing up and down. He jolted his whole body. "What the fu...!?" Before he had time to violently push the night prowler off of him, the person revealed their identity.

"Shh it's ok." He assured, while coming out from under the cover. "It's just me. Surprise." He whispered. Lemongrab sighed heavily in the knowledge that the person under the covers wasn't a weirdo it was just Lemonfriend.

"You scared me." He admitted to his lust driven partner. "What are you doing here?" Lemongrab felt rather flustered as he awaited the response from Lemonfriend.

"Well...I thought that you might be tense or nervous for tomorrow so I thought I would help to release some of that tension." Replied a seductive Lemonfriend. He cupped his partner in his caring hand causing a stuttered gasp to escape Lemongrab's lips. Lemonfriend used his other hand to stroke Lemongrab's cheek and jaw bone lovingly as he passionately kissed him.

"That's kind of you." Said a breathless Lemongrab while he was in the process of removing his shirt. Lemonfriend smiled cheekily as he moved back down to where he began. He rolled LG's trousers fully off and took Lemongrab's length in to his mouth again. Lemongrab moaned and groan in his sleepy state as he enjoyed the pleasure rising up from his stomach. It coated his entire body. His finger tips, toes and even his nub all tingled vigorously with every stroke Lemonfriend made with his long tongue. It wasn't long before Lemonfriend felt his lover getting harder as he continued to suck and caress him with his mouth.

The moment stopped when Lemonfriend was happy at the stiffness of Lemongrab. His plan was to use Lemongrab's body for his own needs as well as Lemongrab's, so he pulled away from Lemongrab dramatically and rummaged frantically in the bedside draws. "Do you have what we need?" He tenderly whispered. Lemongrab was too caught up in his flirtatious frenzy to speak so he simply nodded and pulled the bottom draw open for Lemonfriend to collect what he needed. Inside, he grabbed what was required for the rest of their sensual night and applied them as needed. Lemonfriend rolled the protection on to himself and Lemongrab only then to quickly squeeze some gel on to his fingers to slick Lemongrab's manhood and his own young entrance. Lemonfriend steadied his breath and his body over the top of Lemongrab. Slowly he seated himself down on to Lemongrab's tip. He took a sharp inhale through gritted teeth because of the immense stinging arising from his behind. He allowed Lemongrab's length to journey further in, as he gripped the bed covers tightly. Silent gasps escaped his lips, due to the fact he had finally seated himself down fully on top of Lemongrab.

Lemongrab seductively stroked Lemonfriend's outer thigh to try and help him relax. His flirty lover breathed in deeply and let out a low pitched 'hum' to display his appreciation for the subtle touches to his quivering legs. Lemongrab propped himself up on his sturdy elbow while using the other hand to draw Lemonfriend's face closer to his, so he could give him a devoted smooch. With Lemongrab fully inserted in to him, Lemonfriend lifted his hips slightly and dropped down to try and get the rhythm started. The stinging pain had almost completely famished, as a result of Lemonfriend relaxing his entire body and putting himself in to the trustworthy hold of Lemongrab. The thrusts got closer together with every affectionate interaction, while their breathing got more and more deep and louder. On many occasions, both of the lemon men accidentally released a moan of pure pleasure in to the silent room. The only sounds in the room was the creak of the bed frame, heavy panting, moans, groans and intimate whispers of admiration.

The moment was intensifying and every ounce of pleasure was rushing though their bodies frantically. Lemongrab suddenly fell in to a well of sexual desires. He had the urge to dominate Lemonfriend entirely. A sinful fire lit up in his eyes as he became infatuated with this feeling of longing for Lemonfriend to submit. He projected a loud grunt, sounding a lot like a wide animal, and leapt up from his inactive pose to hold Lemonfriend's body securely. He suddenly threw the shocked Lemonfriend around so now he was the one on his back; he had to submit to the wants and commands of Lemongrab. As Lemongrab was still inserted in to his partner he just positioned himself so he could start to gyrate his hips briskly once again. All Lemonfriend could do was lie back and take the loving but rough thrusts from his partner. A lust fuelled fire burned brighter than ever inside Lemonfriend. The immense amounts of ecstasy flowing through his body were almost impossible to cope with. He begged for more with muttered words of approval and desire. He loved having Lemongrab's body so close. He reached up and clang on for dear life as Lemongrab ruthlessly pushed himself in and out swiftly, while sending passionate sayings in to his ear.

The bed shrieks got louder and louder due to the men frantically thrusting. Building closer and closer to their moment of pure pleasure, sonorous moans continued to be blurted out of their panting mouths. In order to cover sound of their climaxes, they smashed their mouths together and ravenously kissed each other to catch the unwanted noise. A split second later, Lemonfriend felt his entire body stiffen and become a plank of wood, as his orgasm hit him like a brick wall. The few thrusts left in Lemongrab were enough to let Lemonfriend ride out his orgasm, while LG finally ejaculated in to the protection and cooled his sweating body down. For a mere moment, Lemongrab just lead on top of Lemonfriend, out of complete exhaustion, just to catch his breath. He slowly disconnected himself form Lemonfriend and removed the protection from the both of them. Lemongrab discarded the now useless means of protection in to a nearby bin then slumped down on to his bed with a thud. Both still breathless, they regained their posture before deciding to snuggle in to each other's touch. The next morning was Christmas Day and they couldn't help but think about how perfect it will be to be able to open their eyes and see each other dreamily on the most wonderful day of the year; they didn't need presents, they only needed each other. The pair of them were so tired that once they cuddled up to each other and rested their eyes, they rapidly fell in to the dream land and were undisturbed for the rest of the cold, winter night.

The morning glow arose from behind the horizon, as dawn broke on Christmas Day. Candy children were already up and bouncing on their parents beds in an effort to wake them up so they could start the long awaited gift opening session. People could be heard happily laughing and cheering, which filled the atmosphere with the Christmas spirit. As for the lemon men, they were still snoozing after their energetic night of ardour. At a leisurely pace, Lemongrab parted his eyelids to reveal the festive world to his scenes. It took him a moment or two for his eyes to adjust and for his mind to gather what happened last night. Once he stopped squinting at the blinding light of the room, he noticed the calming presents of his partner, sleeping peacefully in front of him. Hugging up to him, Lemongrab gave Lemonfriend's forehead a fond kiss before he moved on to his soft lips, in an effort to wake his partner up. With his arm resting on Lemonfriend's waist, the yearning Lemongrab whispered in to Lemonfriend's ear to stir him out of his dreams. "Lemonfriend." Croaked a drowsy Lemongrab. His other half wriggled subtly but still didn't opening his sleepy eyes. "Good morning." Lemonfriend was finally awake enough to open one of his eyes and glanced across to Lemongrab. He felt jaded and wished to sleep more, however he felt content with being in Lemongrab's company. Groaning out his 'good morning' reply, Lemonfriend buried himself in to Lemongrab's body and hid his face in Lemongrab's chest, so the sun would stop attacking his tired eyes. Lemongrab simply embraced the snuggle and dozed until his lazy lover felt lively enough to actually talk or even move slightly.

The boys zoned in and out of sleep for a further 30 minutes before, they showed any sign of life in their limp bodies. Lemonfriend arose on to his forearms to peer in to Lemongrab's wearied eyes. Grinning cheerfully at his partner, he finally uttered his first words of the day. "Morning, wake up sleepy head." Lemongrab chuckled inaudibly.

"I'm not the sleepy head, you are." He stated.

"I just wanted a few more minutes. I got to bed late you see." He placed his body closer to Lemongrab and kissed his cheek gingerly. Lemongrab opened his eyes fully and held himself up with his left arm, smiling cheekily.

"Really? I didn't know that." He teased. Lemonfriend chortled faintly at the sarcastic statement made by Lemongrab. The lemon in question began to roll on top of Lemonfriend, causing him fall on to his back once again and was left to just look up at his lovers' 'carry on' expression. "In fact I think you were so tired, you could handle round two part." He joked while leaning in for a kiss. Lemonfriend just sighed and smiled.

"Well, that needs to be changed." Suggested the love struck Lemonfriend. They began to peck at each other's lips, lazily and tenderly, to bring pleasurable sensations to their mouths. Lemongrab moved his head around in to Lemonfriend's neck to compassionately nibble at his tender young skin. Lemonfriend was going to reduplicate this affection, but the pair where disturbed by an unexpected knock at the door. The impatient candy person behind the door barely left the devoted couple enough time to separate before they waltzed in obliviously. The candy person in question was PB who seemed frustrated and stressed because of the organising involved with the festival. However she got the shock of her life when she glanced in to Lemongrab room. "Lemongrab could yo...AH!" She gasped. The boys parted their bodies as quick as a flash. Filled with embarrassment, they stayed quiet; instead they just gathered covers to hide their nudity from royalty. "I'm so sorry; I'm in such a fluster I didn't think that you might be...together." Her cheeks blushed a pure shade of crimson as she tried to justify her abrupt reaction. Lemongrab cleared his throat to speak.

"It's fine, mistakes happen." Muttered Lemongrab. Lemonfriend hid his lower half of his face in the covers to hide the fact he was mortified. The awkwardness could be cut with a knife, so it was lucky that the princess decided to end it extremely quickly.

"Umm, I'll talk to you later." She almost sprinted out of the room and slammed the door shut. Unbeknownst to each other, they all let out a sigh of relief when the moment finally finished; PB carried on finishing her checklist and the boys led down in bed again. They tried to recall what just happened and why their bellies felt as twisted as a coiled spring.

"What timing, eh?" Joked Lemongrab. Lemonfriend agreed with his lover as he let his cheeks slowly transform back to their usual colour. Being caught in the act must have been the most traumatic experience that is shared between the three of them. While led on his back, Lemonfriend just let his mind wonder to regain his composer. Suddenly he noticed something important he forgot to take in to consideration.

"Oh no..." He muttered, whilst covering his mouth with his hand.

"What? What's wrong?" Lemongrab questioned.

"I completely forgot. Shit, fuck no." He gritted his teeth in frustration. Lemongrab was just getting more concerned

"What is it?" He asked in an angered manner.

"I completely forgot that there's a camera in every room in the castle; including this one. That means late night was captured on tape." Lemongrab's eyes widened in shock. All he could do was think back to his first few nights and when he had the 'unwanted problems' in the morning.

"You mean to tell me there's camera in here and you never mentioned it in the past." He spat through gritted teeth. Lemonfriend just sat bolt upright and frantically looked around the corners of the room. There, on the top right corner, Lemonfriend could see a minuscule red light glowing. He scanned the floor for any type of clothes that might be scattered nearby. All that was there were Lemongrab's pyjama bottoms. He picked them up without revealing himself and swiftly tugged them on to his legs. Jumping out of bed, he gathered up some materials to cover the lens on the camera. All he could find was a piece of plain paper and one piece of string from off of the package he brought with him the night before. Using a chair to reach, he wrapped the camera with the paper to block any view of the room and the string was to secure the paper so it stayed on. It wasn't a permanent solution but it was better than nothing. Once their privacy was given back to them, Lemonfriend strolled back to bed and picked up the package on the way there. "You still haven't answered me." Stated an irritable Lemongrab.

"Sorry I was just getting our dignities back." Replied Lemonfriend aggressively. "I don't have a camera in my room, so I always forget they're around. Hopefully our screen wasn't on view or nobody was in the room last night." Lemonfriend wished hard for that it be true and plucked himself down on the bouncy bed. "Anyway, let's forget about that and focus on something good." Suggested Lemonfriend as he presented the delicately wrapped gift. His surprised partner let his smile grow across his early morning face.

"You didn't have to get me anything." Chirped Lemongrab while he carefully took the long package in to his hands. Lemonfriend just shrugged his shoulders and giggled excitably.

"Yes I did! Open it I want to see if you like it." He commanded. Lemongrab wasted no time in untying the neatly tied strings and ripping off the paper with lively hand movements. Once the paper was off, the secret gift was relieved. Lemongrab held in his hands a masterpiece. A marvel of craftsmanship. A black leather scabbard with seams sewn together with golden thread and a cross-hatch patch at the top of the main holder. He held the metal handle which was protected with a black leather strip wrapping around the grip. The guard was of gold colouring and the ends curled inwards like a persons fist, creating perfect swirls. The diamond-shaped, golden chunk on the top of the handle added to the unique and excellent style of the sword. Lemongrab drew the weapon out of its holder with a slicing sound to experience the whole feel of the finely made sword. The 'Ching' of the blade echo through the room when Lemongrab fully pulled it out of its case. The blade was light yet strong enough to make an extreme amount of damage with its razor sharp edges. Astonished, he began to sense how amazingly balanced the sword was in his strong grip. It was like they were made for each other. "Do you like it?" Asked an anxious Lemonfriend. Lemongrab just gave out a quick huff of air like a tiny laughing sound.

"Like it? I love it! Thank you!" He exclaimed. "Where did you get this? It's fantastic." The curious Lemongrab awaited the answer from his pleased partner.

"I got it from a blacksmith nearby. I told him the design and he was more than happy to make it." Explained Lemonfriend. "Anyway, you needed a new one as your other sword is all tatty and wore out."

"Yeah it is I guess." Although Lemongrab was pleased as punch with his gift, he felt slightly downhearted about the present he had for Lemonfriend. How was he going to match that? Lemonfriend noticed his saddened expression and instantly became worried.

"Hey, what's wrong? I though you liked it." Questioned Lemonfriend. Lemongrab huffed abruptly while putting the deadly blade back in its protective case.

"I love it, it's just now I'm wondering about your present. It's not as good as this." Stated the discouraged Lemongrab.

"Don't be stupid, anything from you is wonderful. You worry to much." Lemonfriend reassured Lemongrab while stroking his manly shoulder. Lemongrab smiled at him contently, when he suddenly leaned over to look under his bed. There, in a medium sized, fabric bag was a small black box with pale yellow ribbon wrapped around it like a traditional present; it about the size of his hand maybe smaller. Lemongrab hauled himself back up to his previous seated position to hand over his 'bad gift'.

"In that case, here. Merry Christmas." Said Lemongrab as he kissed Lemonfriend's cheek. His lover smiled joyfully as he pulled off one piece of the ribbon to undo the bow. It floated elegantly down on to the bed covers. Before Lemonfriend opened it fully, Lemongrab got another box from under his bed; similar to the one Lemonfriend was about to open but it wasn't wrapped up fancily. He returned to his original position just in time to see Lemonfriend open the box's lid. Inside was a large, coin sized locket sat delicately on a soft cushion. The silver locket glimmered in the morning light beaming through the curtains. The main pattern on top of the locket was stunning. Swirls and flowing patterns covered the whole of the face apart from an angled, teardrop shape which was left blank. Lemonfriend absolutely love his gift, however he couldn't make out what shape it was. It was shaped like a hemisphere, but the base was a jagged edge and the tips of the shape blew out so they looked like two mini hemisphere stuck on the end.

"Lemongrab it's beautiful." He said breathlessly. Before he could say anything more, Lemongrab halted him in his tracks.

"I know it doesn't make sense now, but look now." Lemongrab brought the other box in to the moment and opened in swiftly. The box was protecting another locket which looked exactly the same, but the jagged edge was on the other side of the locket. "Watch." He commanded happily. He took the locket out of its case and place sit near the other. As soon as they come in to contact, the lockets clapped together due to the magnets in the side. It suddenly became clear. The real shape was of a silver, carefully engraved lemon which had a heart shape in the middle of it. Lemonfriend let out an incoherent gasp as his heart felt as heavy as a tonne of bricks. If was the most amazing gift he could ever have received. And it got better. "You know I've been seeking around lately with Esme?" Said Lemongrab. Lemonfriend was speechless so simply nodded his head. "This is what we've been doing. She has been teaching me art for a while. I liked the idea of a locket but I couldn't find one that represented us, so I made it with a helping hand from Esme. Here look." He asked while taking both lockets in to his hands. Lemongrab clicked open the fiddly doors on the lockets to present the words engraved on them. On Lemongrab's it had "Always will be there," and the other had "Always will be loved." Lemonfriend tried to hold back the tears of joy forming in his tired eyes. "Do you like it?" Asked a modest Lemongrab. Lemonfriend couldn't reply. Instead he flew his arms around Lemongrab and drew him in to a loving hug.

"I love it." He whimpered through tearful gasps. "Thank you." Lemongrab just placed the fragile lockets on his bed side table, so he could properly embrace Lemonfriend's young body. Pulling him down on to his chest, Lemongrab lead back down on his bed with Lemonfriend lying lazily on top. The couple didn't want to let go of each other. The touch and hold of their bodies made them feel secure and safe from the terrors of the world. Nevertheless, it was Christmas Day and they needed to get up and see people who were close. Maybe after a few more minutes of cuddles.

At long last, it was time. The time Lemongrab had been silently fearful of. A minuscule moment remained for Lemongrab and Esme before they had to venture on to the stage. Esme was wearing a light blue dress which reached just over halfway down her thigh. Her hair was down and in perfect curls giving her a smart but casual look. This was all complete with a silver head chain travelling all the way around her head. Tiny Water droplet shaped diamonds hung from the chain and draped elegantly over the top part of her forehead. Lemongrab was also dressed for the occasion. His shirt was as black as the night sky with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His black trousers were being held up by white suspenders and he completed the look with a black fedora which had a white band running around the base of the main part. Held him his hand was his trusted guitar and hung around his neck was his half of the locket that he opened earlier with Lemonfriend. He gripped lightly on to it for comfort. They both looked like they had rolled out of a musical set in the swinging sixties. Butterflies fluttered in his belly as they waited anxiously in the wings. "How you feeling?" Asked a laid back Esme. Lemongrab breathed out deeply.

"Nervous," he admitted.

"Don't worry; we've practised a million times. You will be great." Esme gave Lemongrab a friendly pat and stroke on his back to bury so of his concerns. Suddenly From out of the blue, the princess strolled up to the pair to wish them a royal good luck.

"Wow, you two look great." She exclaimed. "I came to wish you good luck. I can't wait to see you perform." The Princess grinned from ear to ear. LG was still slightly bashful about the incident earlier; it seemed like PB felt the same. She only had to look at him and her cheeks flashed red. Esme could feel tension building so decided to knock it down before it just got worse.

"Thank you PB, that's kind of you." She said with an upbeat tone. LG agreed with his positive friend.

"No problem, I should get back and leave you to gather your thoughts. Bye" Before the princess left, she decided to clear things up with Lemongrab. She still felt bad after what happened. "And Lemongrab, "I'm so sorry again for this morning, I was in a rush to do everything and... Didn't think." Said an abashed PB. Already Esme felt obligated to be nosy and ask what had happened, however she decided to wait until the princess left.

"Really it's ok PB." Stated Lemongrab. "Nothing was... Really happening." His cheeks burned red from the pure feeling of embarrassment burning inside of him. The princess sighed in relieve silently and bided her last good bye to her future stars. Esme nudged Lemongrab on the shoulder.

"What was that about?" Asked the nosy Esme. Lemongrab cleared his throat to regain his composure before replying to his prying music partner.

"Well, uh this morning, Lemonfriend and I were in bed and...We were cuddling of sorts and PB walked in on us." Lemongrab hid his face by scratching the back of his head and peering down at the floor. Esme took a shape inhale through her teeth and screwed up her face like she had hurt her toe.

"That's must of been awkward." She stated.

"Extremely." Lemongrab really wanted to move on to another subject and forget about his flustering experience. His wish came true, but that was only because a crew member for the stage beckoned them to get ready to go on. Lemongrab felt his stomach flip uncontrollably as he walked towards the stage with a confident Esme. Her happy-go-luck vibes did help him relax slightly but he still felt terrified. There was no turning back now, as they stepped out on to the stage and into the spotlights.

The audience applauded them as they strolled out on to the stage, which gave Lemongrab a small confidence boost by the fact people weren't attacking him or booing him off of the stage. Placing the guitar strap over his shoulder, he adjusted his guitar so he was able to play it to the best of his ability. Strumming the strings he gave it one last sound check to see if his guitar was in tune. Once the room was quiet, he needed to break the silence with the pick and vibration of the guitars tightly pulled strings. The backing track provided by the pair had just begun in the background. It was the sound of a drumstick lightly tapping a closed high hat. The gentle taps were sounded 3 times to count them in. Finally, the last tap sounded and Lemongrab entered the song without a hiccup. Plucking the correct strings, he breathed in deeply to compose his emotions and ready himself so he could sing and give everything he had.

With the last pick of the intro, Lemongrab opened his quivering mouth and projected his voice with little effort. While he sang the first 2 lines he glanced around the audience to try and find Lemonfriend and see his reaction to his admirable talent. There, in the midst of a crowd, was Lemonfriend dressed in a light blue shirt and white jumper to keep the frost off of his tender skin. He seemed to illuminate in the audience with his fabulous sense of style. He held a shocked but delighted expression on his face as he glued his eyes on to his partner, who was gently swaying and coming to the end of his solo.

Esme joined with her soothing voice, while doing hand gestures to bring movement to her body. As she steadily moved in to her solo part, she began to stroll around the stage with a groove in her step. During the instrumental parts she danced peacefully around the stage and let her body flow to the rhythm of the music. It reached the last line of their song which they executed perfectly in time with each other.

"But in your dreams where ever they be,

Dream a little dream of me."

Just like that, Lemongrab's nightmare moment had come to a swift end as the music slowly played out in to the grand hall. Silence had no chance to invade the room, as everyone applauded and cheered for the performer's brilliant efforts. Looking around the room, they spotted the smiles on everyone's facing as their hands rapidly smacked together in the style of an enthusiastic clap. Lemongrab spotted Lemonfriend and PB in the crown; they were happier than ever and cheering the most. Relieved and light-hearted, Esme and Lemongrab took a bow to say a massive thank you to the audience and wandered off the stage to celebrate the festive season like everyone else was.

They had finally put their stuff away and was now available and ready to mingle with everyone else and find out what people thought of the performance. Weaving in and out of the candy citizens, Esme guided Lemongrab to his astonished lover. They were situated near the food table at the edge of the hall awaiting their arrivals. Lemonfriend was chatting away to Princess Bubblegum until he saw Lemongrab in his peripheral vision and beckoned them over ravishingly. PB turned around and greeted them with a friendly smile as always. "There you are, you to. We were wondering where you got to." Stated the Princess.

"Yeah, we were waiting to congratulate you." Continued Lemonfriend. He couldn't shake the enormous grin off of his face; he was still greatly impressed by Lemongrab's music skills. "You were amazing on stage!" He exclaimed.

"Really? Did you like it?" Asked a modest Lemongrab.

"Are you kidding me? You guys were great." Reassured PB. Lemonfriend nodded his head briskly to agree with the princess. The surprised grin was still being held on his face.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it." Chirped a hyped Esme. "I'll get some drinks to celebrate." Esme started to skip contently to the drinks table nearby, but was halted quickly by the princess.

"Hold up, I'll give you a hand." PB sudden decision had just two main reasons: to give the boys some time alone together and to cut any awkward tension between left behind from this morning. The two smartly dressed girls strolled off in to the crowd, in order to get their celebratory drinks to down in euphoria. Left alone, the couple shared their few minutes of privacy together to talk more about the performance.

"I see now why you didn't let me see the song." Chuckled a touched Lemonfriend. Lemongrab nodded while holding a gleeful smile on his soft lips.

"I was really trying to sing it directly to you, but you kept getting lost in the audience." Explained Lemongrab. Before he had time to talk more, Lemonfriend pushed his lips in to Lemongrab's and gave him a quick but loving peck.

"I thought it was. Thank you, it was a lovely song." As soon as Lemonfriend uttered those last words, the girls returned with two tall glasses each, filled with a pink, bubbly concoction.

"Here you go guys." Esme passed a glass to Lemongrab as the princess handed the other glass to her younger creation. "To the future!" Toasted Esme.

"The future!" Everyone cheered the words and gulped the drink in one. The whole room was still ecstatic as the music from other bands played on throughout the night, filling the atmosphere with jolly and festive spirits.

Later in the evening, Finn and Jake joined the group for a friendly chinwag after ages of socialising with candy citizens. The group were laughing, gossiping and generally having a blast together. That was until Lemongrab's eye homed in on something behind Finn and Jake's head. It was above the hall, in the wings of the hall, which were corridors that ran all the way around, so that people could see anything going on for a height. A twinkle had caught his attention and drew him out of reality. It couldn't be...A black, caped figure drew out a small dagger which reflected the beaming light from the hanging chandelier. By the way they were aiming the weapon was going to fly at great speed towards the princess. He had but a split second to shout "look out!" to the princess and dart in front of her unguarded body. The blade was flicked expeditiously at the princess, but the mystery figure didn't account for Lemongrab's new heroic tendencies, as he covered the princess and allowed the dagger to reach him instead. Piercing his clothes, skin and digging towards his bone, the sharpened blade burrowed its way deep in to Lemongrab's right shoulder. He let out an eye-spitting shout of pain and fell to his knees, while the cowardly figure ran away as quick as they could. The whole audience gasped in fear and shock once they saw what the commotion was.

"BANANA GUARD! AFTER THEM!" Ordered the horrified princess. Lemonfriend felt like he couldn't breathe as he leapt to Lemongrab's side.

"Oh my glob! Are you ok?!" A silly question but it was all that sprang to mind for the devastated Lemonfriend. Miraculously, Lemongrab stood himself back up with the help of Finn, Jake and his adoring partner.

"Yeah, I think." He said bravely. "It's only in my shoulder, no where serious." He acted like nothing dramatic just happened as he yanked the blade form his shoulder, grunting loudly. Calmly he picked up a napkin from the table nearby to cover his wound and set the knife down on to another. "It should be fine, but I might need to...to see... The..." His words drifted further and further apart until he started to stumble and the room became blurred. He was becoming extremely light-headed, as he felt the wound and his head burn like a ravenous fire. In a split second, he was falling to the ground and lost consciousness complete.

"Lemongrab?!" Yelled his friends as he plummeted to the stone ground. Those were the last words he heard during the evening, because he slipped in to an unknown darkness. As for his loved ones, they all rushed to his side; panicking and feeling petrified. Esme placed two of her fingers on to his neck to feel for a pulse. It was only faith.

"Quick! We need to get him to your lab PB!" In her flustered state PB disagreed strongly with her.

"Surely it would be better for him to go to our hospital!" Yet again, Esme interrupted with her valid point.

"No! This isn't an ordinary wound. We need to analyse this with science and book." PB was silenced. Reluctantly she agreed and gave her orders to the boys.

"Finn, Jake, help Esme take him to my lab." The boys put their order quickly in to place and rushed to Lemongrab's side to pick him up off the floor and in to their arms. "Lemonfriend, help them if they struggle." The discomposed Lemonfriend followed his order but was still in complete shock and didn't mutter anything. "Anything I can do Esme?" Asked PB.

"Take the blade, but be careful! I suspect the blade has something on it." Explained Esme, as she ran after the boys towards PB's lab. Bubblegum ran over to the table were the menacing blade was lying. She wrapped it up as carefully as she could, so the blade didn't harm anyone else. Running after the gang, she yelled one last order to her citizens. "Party over guys! Banana guards help escort people home!" Citizens left the room still confused as to what happened exactly. Nonetheless they left the followed the orders of their ruler and strolled back home.

Bang! The door to PB's lab was busted open by a stressful Esme. On the way there, the gang past some off-duty nurses and commanded them to set up a temporary bed for Lemongrab to rest on in PB's lab. Without hesitation, the nurses did what they were told and had it set up by the time they arrive in the frostbitten room. The boys placed him down on the bed, while Esme frantically set up a microscope, chemical testers and a massive book of magic poisons. Lemonfriend jumped beside his lover and felt his forehead with his caring hand. It was baking hot and only getting worse. "What's wrong with him?" Cried a traumatised Lemonfriend.

"I won't know until I get the blade from PB." Just like a cue, the princess sprinted in to the cold room and handed the dagger to Esme.

"Here, do what you need to do and tell me if you need anything." She puffed and panted from her speedy running she had just done, but when she saw Lemongrab lying down helplessly her breath was taken away completely. Her oldest creation, was slipping away and she could do nothing but hope. Esme wasted no time in taking a swab from the blade and putting it through some quick tests.

They had finally all come through and Esme started to compare them to each other and to the explanations in the book. The princess was intrigued by how she knew so much about chemistry and medicine. "How do you know so much?" She asked bluntly.

"Where I come from, we know a lot about magic. My mother was trained to be a physician so she could do all this easily. I picked it up for her." All of a sudden, Esme stopped in her tracks as she had a light bulb moment. She looked at the page in more detail to make sure she had the right on. "Quick!" She commanded as she jogged over to Lemongrab's side. "Take his shirt off. I need to see the wound." Lemonfriend quickly unbuttoned his partner's shirt, slid the suspenders off of his shoulders and exposed the wound. It was incredibly strange. He had green, thin lines travelling from the wound and they disappeared as they went further outwards, into his body. It had almost healed over, but how was that possible?

"What the hell has happened?" Asked Jake.

"Just as I suspected." Echoed Esme. "It's colliemara." Everyone stared at her in confusion and panic. "It's a rare poison made from different ingredients and it attacks the entire body. It painfully shuts down organs over a period of 4 days." Those words were enough to coax out a tearful gasp from Lemonfriend.

"Please say there's a cure." Pleased Lemonfriend as the tears rolled down his cheeks.

"There is and it's easy to make..." The gang all looked at her in hope but she had to add an extra point that made everyone feel down again. "But the green vein things aren't meant to appear until the third day, which means it's been enhanced by magic. To be specific, fire magic." Fire magic? Thought the princess. Was there such a thing?

"But you can still make it right?" Fretted Finn. Esme scanned the book again and nodded.

"Yes, all I require are the opposite ingredients that were used to make the poison. However I need the opposite magic as well. What's the complete opposite to fire?" Asked a down-hearted Esme. Lemonfriend pieced the pieces together and knew what she meant.

"Ice. He stuttered. "You need ice magic." All hope had gone out the window yet again. Why was it never simple? Lemonfriend leapt up from his knees and put his brave face on. "I'll talk to ice king and will do whatever it takes." He proclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Asked PB. Lemonfriend just needed to look at his lover moving subtly in agony to make his decision. He nodded with a fierce look in his eyes.

"In that case, we're coming as well to help you fight things if they get out of hand." As quick as a flash, Finn and Lemonfriend hopped on to the back of Jake who had already enlarged his body, ready to journey towards the ice Kingdom. PB waved them goodbye from her window. As they rode into the night sky

"Good luck boys." Hollowed PB. She turned back in to her lab and witnesses Lemongrab moving in an irritable fashion. Like he was fighting in a nightmare. Sweat was gathering over his body from the immense pain he had all over his body. He was fighting a massive battle with the poison coursing through his veins whilst in his subconscious. "What do I need to do?" She croaked. Esme had just finished writing a list of what was needed to make the antidote.

"Here. Collect these items as fast as you can. I suspect we have a day at most before it is too late to save him." Esme was fighting back the tears. Their Christmas had just been completely changed form being happy and festive, to depressing and hopeless. The princess scanned the paper and read all the simple ingredients she needed.

"I will do my best." She said gently as she sprinted out the door. Esme was left alone with Lemongrab. Her equipment was all set up so she could start to prepare the antidote as soon as PB got back, so her only job was to attend Lemongrab. His whole body was heating up, so she removed his shirt and trousers in a dignified way. Pulling the covers from underneath him, she covered his bottom half to as an act of respect tot his body. She got some cold water in a bowl and two small piece of cloth to drape across his forehead, cooling his temperature and the other to clean his wide wound. Along with this, Esme also shut the windows so the sudden changed in temperature didn't mess his body up too much. As she sat next to her friend, tenderly soaking his head with the cold water and cloth, she whispered as small message to him. She believed he could hear her.

"Lemongrab. If you can hear me, keep fighting the poison. I know you can pull threw this." A single tear fell from Esme's eye, as she patiently but nervously awaited the arrivals of everyone else with their supplies. The whole kingdom fell oddly silent. All you could hear was the quiet grunts and heavy breathing of Lemongrab as he fought against the burning pain. They have one chance, and it was slipping away second by second.


	17. Chapter 16-Time is running out

The only noises being projected in the forgotten forest was the sound of leaves crunching under Princess Bubblegum's feet as she briskly trekked through the hibernating wilderness. By her side, she had her trusted friend, Marceline, to help her find the last ingredient on her list; Lilliemills. It was an incredibly rare flower that only bloomed in damp areas and there were only ever 4 flowers or less in one patch. But their one giveaway was their scent. They may look beautiful and harmless but their stench is enough to ward off any deadly predators and if ingested can cause immediate pain and sickness. The task seemed impossible; however with the help of Marceline sensitive sense of smell, she should be able to sniff out the ingredient without any trouble. "Just so I know what to find, what does this stuff look and smell like?" Asked a confused Marceline.

"According to this, there will be a patch with black and white blossoms; we want the White ones as the black ones make the poison." Explained the princess. She tried to give as much detail as possible to her dear friend. "Esme says it will smell like rotten fish."

"Delicious." Joked the vampire queen. They continued to walk deeper in to the forest with its endless paths and gnarled branches. It seemed hopeless. There wasn't any trace of the flower they required. It was playing an annoying game of 'hide and can't seek' with the girls. Then from out of the blue, Marceline stopping in her hovering tracks. "Wait." She commanded. She sniffed harder through her nose and peered around at her surroundings. On one trail, she screwed up her nose and dramatically wretched. "It's definitely this way." She covered her nose so it had time to recover after the stench attacked her senses. Like a bat out of hell, she picked up PB and followed the trail. Weaving through the branches that gripped their clothes, the smell was only getting worse for Marceline; PB luckily smelt nothing. They arrived at an open area of the forest which was terribly muddy and stank of rotting plant-life.

"Where now Marcy?" Asked the innocent princess. The queen smelt the air and felt vomit rise up from her throat when she homed in on one particular spot.

"Under that hollow tree truck." Said Marceline with her hand over her mouth and nose. She slowly let PB drop down to the ground, so her boots reached the ground and squelched when she added pressure to the soaked soil. The curious princess strolled over to the empty tree truck to investigate the area. She got within a metre of it before her nose twitched with the rising smell of death entering her nose. The tree truck was cut in half and hollow making a perfect damp shelter for wildlife to grow and fester in the swamp-like habitat. She pushed the natural hideaway forward to revile what was growing peacefully underneath; Lilliemills. The smell of rotten flesh pounced up at PB, almost making her faith.

"Oh my glub! That's disgusting." She kept gagging as the flowers made their presence know using their appalling scent. Once her eyes had stopped watering, the princess was able to find the flowers standing proudly in amongst moss and different types of fungi. 4 flowers had planted themselves under the rotting truck; 1 was white. "This must be the flower we need."

"Then can you grab it, like now. I can't stand the stench any long." The princess agreed with her supernatural friend and leant forward to pick the only Snow White flower there. The ingredient they had left. Her hand was barely able to touch the stem before a voice bellowed at the princess.

"STOP!" Cried the mysterious man. The princess and Marceline both looked in surprise to see a man in a green robe and a green hat with leaf patterns on them, flying towards them at great speed. "What do you think you're doing?" He angrily asked.

"Forest wizard?" The princess should have guessed that he would intervene at some stage. Marceline did not like his rude entrance or question one bit and scaled up to him.

"Mind your own business pal!" She yelled, as she allowed her demonic traits to shine through slightly.

"Just stay calm you guys." PB reasoned with the both of them so they could talk probably and not like two irrational buffoons. "Let's just talk. Forest wizard, why can't we take this flower? We need it for something with the upmost importance!"

"Well it is an extremely rare species and should be protected. I've already had a bunch of thieves come and steal some for me." Blurted the wizard of nature. PB's ear pricked up at the mere mention of a criminal that could be linked to the poison on the dagger. Ideas ran through her head.

"What did they take?" Queried PB. The wizard pointed at the flowers and told her everything he saw.

"Those. But they took the black ones instead. When I tried to get them back, they threatened me with a weird deadly weapon, like a mini canon." Fear rushed over both the girls as a sudden ball of realisation hit them hard. The wizard carried on his sentence, even though the girls were in shock and fear of what this gang has in-store for the kingdom. "That's why I put a spell on these flowers; if anyone tries to pick them, they instantly die so they can't be used for their intended purpose. PB was brought crashing back to the wet earth as she begged to the wizard and explained their situation.

"No! Please reverse the spell. We need this flower desperately." Pleaded the distraught princess. Marceline slowly hovered closer to PB to comfort her and to add a little more intimidating tension toward the wizard.

"Absolutely not! The white flowers are rarer than the black ones. This is under protection until it natural dies and composes to keep the natural balance of the soil." A tear formed effortlessly in PB's eye and slowly dribbled down her soft, pink cheek. "Why do you cry?" Asked the blunt wizard. Marceline was speedy with her frustrated reply.

"Listen dude. Our friend had been poisoned and that flower in the only thing we need to get closer to saving him." The wizard fell silent at the desperation in their glistening eyes but his mind had not changed

"Please just look in to your cold heart and find the compassion that will let us take the stupid flower." PB was breathing with hitched breaths due to the numerous amounts of tears rolling down her face. The wizard hummed. Peering at the vampire queen, he looked further in to her eyes and reached her soul. She too was dejected by the situation they had been forced in to. Sighing deeply, he reluctantly blasted green sparks and lines directly at the flower. His magic intensified as the spell was removed from just that one flower.

"It should be good now. Just take it before I change my mind." He commanded in a glum manner. The princess hopes flew sky high as she delicately plucked the flower and placed it in her fabric bag along with the other ingredients.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. Your kindness will not go unrewarded." Declared the princess. Without hesitation, Marceline sweated PB in to her trusting arms as the pair of hopeful girls rushed to the kingdom of sugar and spice. With hope in their hearts, they darted in and out of branches being stuck out by trees and made their swift return to the castle and to Lemongrab.

Scribbling formulas on to a piece of clean paper, Esme waited rather impatiently for PB and Marceline to return with the fundamental ingredients needed to help Lemongrab survive. During her time at the desk, she couldn't help but overhear Lemongrab struggling to speak. In hope he was coming round, she stumbled to the edge of his temporary bed. Sadly, he wasn't trying to speak out. Over time, he had become radically worse. The vibrant colour of yellow that once covered his body had faded in to a pale, sickly shade of lemon; a result of his liver and bloodstream slowly shutting down. Although his eyes were shut, you couldn't help but notice his tired eyes moving frantically. His movement were still subtle, however they were still sluggish and only a result of the burning, agonising pain he was subconsciously fighting. During Esme's time at his side, he uttered a few broken words. "No...d...don't...Le...leave." It was evident these word were just his subconscious trying to communicate to his adoring friends. Esme took hold of the wet cloth again and tenderly draped it across his head to cool his rising temperature.

"Shh Lemongrab." She whispered. "You need to relax and rest up." With haste, his stiff body released its posture, allowing him to sink in to the caring hold of his bed. His breathing went from a rapid, shallow pace to a slow and deep drag of oxygen. Esme knew they didn't have long before he slipped in to a dead-like state, making it impossible to help him. Nevertheless, her prays were answered as she heard PB shouting to her to get ready. Bursting thought the door like a battering ram, the girls returned to the room of sorrow to hand over the goods to the wannabe scientist.

"Here. I think that's everything. We'll look after LG just get going on the cure." Esme nodded and got her head in the game. Bolting to her equipment, the peach citizen felt a wave of hope roll over her mind. They may still have time. She emptied the ingredients on to her table and organised them in to order they needed to be added. It was a fairly difficult process, nonetheless Esme was determined to help her dear friend fight and win the battle against death. However as Esme was half way through making the lifesaving concoction, LG's condition took a dramatic turn for the worse. Spewing from his dry mouth, a weird white liquid with essence of blood projected itself from inside of him. PB panicked to witness her creation suddenly start moving his limbs in a twitchy manner.

"Quick! Get him on his side, in the recovery position. And grab his tongue so he doesn't chock!" Ordered Esme as she rushed over to lend a helping hand. The girls rolled him on to his left side to stop reopening the wound; his movement had become even more drastic. Esme removed his locket so the chain didn't constrict his air flow even more; it was up to PB to hold his twitching tongue. Luckily for PB, Lemongrab's tongue was quite long so she was able to hold it with minimum effort. Although she knew it was saving him, she still cringed at the weird feeling of the muscle as it slipped in and out of her grip. The sounds of his struggled breathing echoed throughout the room, making everyone panic. In everyone's relief, his body soon calmed down and he returned to his lifeless state. They rolled him over on to his back cautiously just in case he started to vomit again.

"What happened?" Fretted a fearful Princess, as she cleaned the sick off of his face and body. Esme ran over to her pile of books in horror and desolation. "What is it?" PB kept asking anxious questions to Esme. She felt helpless.

"It can't be." Stated Esme. The girls were discombobulated by what she was inferring. "Seizures and vomiting isn't suppose to happen until the last day; the last moment. I must have calculated wrong." Like a bolt of lightning, Esme began to scribble down numbers and calculations on her piece of paper. In terror, she found out the real time they had left. "PB, get on the phone to Finn."

"Why what's the matter?" Asked the oblivious Princess. Esme took a deep breath to calm her worries. It did nothing to help her.

"We have less than an hour to save him." PB couldn't breathe. It was like a vacuum had been placed over her mouth and sucking the air out of her lungs. She stumbled in to a chair due to the shock and dug around in her draws for her phone. With her phone in hand, she dialled for Finn as quick as she could in her perplexed state. Finn calmly answered her distressing call.

"Hey PB, how's LG?" He asked; they seemed to be at the ice Kingdom already as PB saw the landscape behind him. The princess was hysterical as the news finally hit home for her.

"The calculations were wrong! We have less than an hour before it's too late!" Finn gasped in horror and abruptly ended the call. Marceline ran over to a terrified PB to snap her out of her hysteria. She grabbed her phone and threw it on to a nearby counter. Grabbing her upper arms, Marceline tried to talk sense in to a quivering PB.

"PB calm down! We have the stuff needed, we can save him." Esme was already getting back to work with the antidote and tried to stay as calm as she could. PB was taking deep breaths to try and keep back the tears and fears she was holding inside her broken heart. To add to the reassurance, Esme spoke up.

"We've got this guys, it's just the ice king we need now." Assured Esme. Time was definitely not on their side as the minutes ticked by quicker and quicker. Tick tock.

-30 minutes before-

The boys all shivered as the ice cold wind pelted enormous snow flakes on to their unprotected faces. During most of the journey, Lemonfriend didn't utter a word; he was too caught up in his overwhelming feeling of terror. The moment when LG fell forward and passed out just kept replying in his head, like a video that keeps rewinding and reminding him of the tragedy that unfolded just last night. Being the hero, Finn was instantly worried for LG and Lemonfriend. The times all four of them have been together were great. For example, on Halloween they all planned a big prank to scare Esme and PB. Finn and Jake dressed up as zombies, while the lemon men created the fake story that they had been infected. The fright on the girls' faces fuelled a lot of laughter for the boys, as expected. But now those golden days were slowly dying and if they didn't hurry up, their future will never be the same again. Finn turned his head to glance at the heartbroken Lemonfriend. He turned his body so he could engage with a conversation properly. "Hey Lemonfriend. How you holding up?" He asked politely.

"Not the best Finn." Sighed Lemonfriend, while he buried his head in his folded arms. Finn felt the woeful emotions beaming off of Lemonfriend. He needed to changed the subject or even just reassure him that LG was going to be fine.

"LG is gunna pull through this. Trust me." Vowed Finn. Lemonfriend just peered up at him and presented an insignificant smile.

"I hope you're right Finn. When we left, it didn't look good." Finn needed to cheer Lemonfriend up which would be extremely tricky to do due to the fact his lover was drifting away in to death as we speak.

"Don't remember the bad memories. Try and focus on the fun or fuzzy memories. That's what I'm doing to gain hope." Lemonfriend lifted his head and happily agreed. He routed around in his clouded mind to try and pull out his best memories; ones that gave him hope. The one vision that appeared to him was the event of yesterday morning; when he received Lemongrab's present. Reaching in to his shirt, he pulled out the elegant locket and opened the small, engraved door. "What's that?" Asked a curious Finn.

"It's the present Lemongrab got me for Christmas. Look." Lemonfriend lifted the chain up and over his head and held out his Locket so Finn could get a closer look. Just like Lemonfriend, Finn was confused by the shape and patterns on it.

"It's a nice locket, but what is it of?" Questioned Finn.

"I was confused to. Lemongrab has the other half of it. It connects together to make a lemon shape with a heart in the middle." Explained Lemonfriend as he placed his precious locket back over his head and in the safely of his own hands. At this point, Jake entered the conversation with cheerful thought.

"That's cute dude. I've seen some like that down at the market, but I've never seen a lemon one." Lemonfriend chuckled and felt a slight feeling of pride for his lover rise up from the bottom of his shattered heart.

"He made it. This is why I love it so much." Confessed Lemonfriend. "Knowing that it's unique and he put the time and effort in to make it so perfectly." A faith smile made its way across Lemonfriend face as he gently gripped on to the locket for security. He closed his eyes and imagined himself with Lemongrab, cuddling and sheltered from the freezing cold winds. However, he was soon brought out of his trance by the click of Finns fingers.

"That's nice dude, but we're nearing the ice Kingdom. We need a plan." Lemonfriend stored his prized locket back in to warm shirt and concentrated on the difficult task ahead.

"Right, Jake do you think you can drop me by the ice kings door?" Questioned Lemonfriend.

"Urg, sure but don't you want any help?" Quiried Jake. Lemonfriend took a deep breath for courage and gave him brave response.

"No. He won't listen if you guys are there. I have a plan you just need to trust me." Finn and Jake peered at each other to see if they were happy with the plan. After a short moment of physic negotiation, the boys agreed to his plan. Jake let Lemonfriend jump off of his back on to the piece of ice sticking out representing the ice kings front balcony.

"Good luck dude. If you need help just call we will be hiding down there." Whispered Finn as he pointed to the snow covered ground. Lemongrab nodded to show his understanding. With little hesitation, Jake shrunk back down to his normal size so he was out of sight. Lemonfriend was left to go alone. He gathered his courage with a deep breath in and out. Stepping forward, he placed his foot in the entrance to the frozen domain and strolled in fearlessly.

"Ice king? Where are you ice king?" He waited form some kind of reply, but there was nothing. Nothing but the whistling wind rushing past his delicate ears. Then from out of the blue, he heard content sing or humming coming from the twisting staircase in front of him. Striding confidently up his spiralling staircase, the ice king brought himself in to the dim light.

"Somebody call." He teased while he leant up against the doorframe, trying to look appealing and badly failing. Lemonfriend had to play along in order to get ice king on his side.

"Hello again, ice king." Said Lemonfriend with a fake smile. The ice king was positively puzzled by the young lemon man's confident speech.

"Hmm, what do you want? Last time you were here, you rejected me and let your boyfriend beat me up." Lemonfriend rolled his eyes and crossed his relaxed arms. Pacing towards the controller of ice, Lemonfriend used his best acting skills to show an uncaring and shallow persona.

"To be honest, you were right. He didn't give me everything I wanted, but I think you can." Admitted Lemonfriend. His voice was quiet and flirtatious. The ice king blushed and giggled childish when he met Lemonfriend's glistening eyes of temptation. Lemonfriend felt so awful and weird doing this. It made him feel physically sick. Nevertheless, he would think about the reason for his uncomfortable actions

"I sure can baby." Replied the ice king with an odd wink. "Let me settle you in, come with me." Lemonfriend didn't budge from his spot. You could say he was frozen in his place.

"No, let ME settle you in." The ice king span round expeditiously in shock.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I have spoken to the princess and as we are together now, you can come live in the candy Kingdom with me. We are meeting her there soon." Breathless and delighted, the ice king began to jump up and down on the hard, cold floor. Just then, Finn and Jake raced in to the chamber of ice and screamed in panic.

"Lemonfriend! We only have an hour! Where's the..." Realising there irrational entrance, the boys were silenced immediately by the angry expression of the ice king.

"What are those dumb dums doing here?!" He yelled. "And why only an hour? What's going on?" Lemonfriend had to think quickly on his feet but it seemed impossible by the wave of panic washing over his anatomy.

"An hour until your welcome party starts, we need to be there now to get ready!" Lemonfriend presented a trustworthy smile, however hidden behind his eyes were overwhelming feelings of fear for his partner, who was slowly slipping towards death. It seemed like an inevitable faith at the rate they were moving. The gullible king showed no questioning towards Lemonfriend's reasoning, so innocently played in their game as the poor, blind mad man.

"Cool, I'll just pack my bags and organise my penguins." Before he could disappear, he felt Lemonfriend grab his arm suddenly.

"There's no time. We can come back for that." The ice king peered in to Lemonfriend's eyes. Behind the glimmering glass-like balls, he was concealing something from him but due to how easy the ice king was to manipulate in his maddened state, he didn't think anything of it.

"Oh, well that's ok I guess..." While in mid sentence, the ice king was suddenly tugged to the edge of his icy home.

"Brilliant!" Exclaimed Lemonfriend while he dragged the unaware king towards the exit. "Quick, we need to get to the candy Kingdom. PB awaits us." Just like a flash of light, all four of them rushed towards to candy Kingdom without hesitation. The ice king used his wizard beard as wings to fly himself there, while the others journeyed on jakes back just like before; only this time, Jake held a speedy pace. The way back to the kingdom seemed to take forever. Lemonfriend kept telling himself to not panic, but it was hopeless. His mind couldn't rest from the thought of his arrival to a lifeless Lemongrab. His heart cramped up and felt like it stopped beating, nevertheless he knew he should hold on to the last shreds of hope he had left in his broken soul.

Pacing up and down the lab, Esme was keeping look of for the boys with their last desired ingredient. Ice magic. Now and again, she would peer over to Lemongrab who was barely alive. The few weak and tense movements his limbs once made had stopped, leaving him looking dead as a doornail. Nonetheless, his pulse was barely there. PB and Marceline were sat anxiously by his side, monitoring his condition in perfect detail. They would soak his head with chilling water to control his temperature, which was sky high. "Where are they? They should be here by now." Voiced a stressed Marceline.

"Maybe the ice king is refusing to help." Suggested PB who was doing her best to care for her creation. His mumbled words had now turned in to incoherent grunts and wheezes. "I hope they get here soon though." From out of the blue, Esme pelted towards the window and shoved the glass wide open.

"In here guys!" She yelled as she leant her body out of the window. She ran to her work bench and readied the cure for the magic touch that needed to be added. Shortly after her abrupt dash, Lemonfriend instantaneously jumped through the window and left to his lover's side. Jake stretched his legs in while shrinking down so he and Finn could enter the room of despair; followed by a con-fuddled wizard of ice.

"How's he holding up?" Asked the petrified Lemonfriend.

"We don't have long; we need the last part and now!" Explained Esme. The ice king drew his attention to her and fell in to his usual routine of trying to pathetically flirt with ladies.

"Well hello, I haven't seen you here before." Esme was in no mood for any misbehaviour from a mad man. She scowled at him strongly. Luckily for the ice king, Finn was quick to explain who he was before Esme had a chance to give him a hard punch on his long nose.

"Esme wait, this is the ice king, he's here to help." Announced the human boy.

"Oh really? And you think now is a good time to flirt?" Esme sounded serious for once as she is narrowed her eyes into a threatening look.

"Whoa slow down girl. I'm not flirting. I've got a new babe now." The ice king pointed over to Lemonfriend without glancing at what he was doing. When he noticed Lemongrab lead down with just a minuscule Amount of life left in his body, he began to piece the confusing puzzle together. "What's wrong with him?"

"That's why we need you ice king." PB ran over to his side. She had no intention to sucking up to him or letting him take advantage of her in her unstable emotional state. "We need your ice magic to finish the cure for Lemongrab. Please can you just..." PB had no time to end her request before the ice king pushed past her and scampered to Lemonfriend's side.

"You lied to me! You didn't want me to move here at all!" Lemonfriend stood up to face the ice king head on. With teary eyes, he made an angered reply.

"I had to! You would have never helped, if we didn't trick you." Asserted the emotional Lemonfriend. "Now please just help save his life!" Lemonfriend gestured down towards the bed, where Lemongrab was silently lying. Gripping on to life.

"Fine, but I want something out of this." The ice king had a mischievous look in his eyes. Lemonfriend let him proceed with his request. "A kiss." Lemonfriend felt a slight lump of vomit rise up his throat. He said to himself, he would do anything for Lemongrab, even go to the extend of kissing his kidnapper from the past. Cringing he made his reluctant reply.

"Alright." Everyone around him gasped and questioned his brave response. "But nothing serious. A peck at most." The ice king cheered like an excitable school girl and ran over to Esme.

"Okay, what do I have to do?" He asked enthusiastically. Esme scanned through the book with hope in her heart. Flicking frantically through the pages, she searched for the correct enchantment that would bind the ingredients and make the desired cure. At long last, Esme found the right spell and pointed it out to the ice king.

"Can you do this combining spell? The king skimmed over the wizardly words written with a weird style in the wrecked book. He chuckled at Esme.

"Of course, this is the easiest spell to do." The cocky ice king faced-up to the plant green coloured antidote placed peacefully on the table. He began the spell with the special words of healing which made his hands light up with light blue flashes of magic. The lights flickered as the feeling of intense power in the room maximised. As he spoke the last words of gibberish, he extended his arms out straight, so the magic collided with the glass flask. If Esme did the cure right, the substance should freeze but instantly melt in to a drinkable liquid. She held her breathe as the ice king finished his magic part; she was begging for the concoction to work. Fantastic! The substance had returned to liquid signalling the success of the spell. In amazement, Esme grabbed the flask and ran over to Lemongrab's side. She had only moments left to save her dearest friend. Lemonfriend began to bolt towards his lover, until he was suddenly stopped by the ice king. "Now how about that kiss from my prince?" Lemonfriend grunted in disgust and yanked his arm away from the insane wizard. The ice king scowled in pure anger. "Fine! We had a deal, but whatever! I will just go kidnap a princess to give me my kiss." Without hesitation the ice king blasted out of the room through the open window, leaving the anxious group to save their beloved friend. When Lemonfriend arrived at Lemongrab's side, he was almost gone. Esme poured half of the liquid on to a clean, white cloth and handed it to PB.

"Quick, put this on the wound." PB spontaneously whipped the cloth out of Esme's shaking hand and held it down on his burning wound. Esme propped LG's head up on her knee while she sat next to him, so the liquid could travel down in to his belly. She was terrified by the fact that his pulse was so slow and faint. Was it too late? Nonetheless, the rim of the flask touched his lips, whilst Esme poured the antidote down his gullet. "Come on LG. Drink." Commanded Esme. It was done. The flask was empty but Lemongrab didn't move a muscle. Worryingly, his stomach had stopped rising and falling to the rhythm of his struggled breathing. No noise was enacted from his mouth, as he led there, totally lifeless. Esme panicked and felt for his pulse. Nothing. Standing up in disbelief, Esme closed her eyes to block out the image of her friend lying so still. "No pulse..." She whispered. It was barely audible in the stillness of the room. Everyone felt there hearts drop a thousand feet. As for Lemonfriend... He felt dead.

"No...He can't..." He muttered. His bottom lips began to quiver as he stroked his partners face tenderly. While the others tried to remain composed, tears rolled rapidly down Lemonfriend's cheeks like a waterfall. His strong emotion of despair was enough to bring water drops to the other people around him who were trying to not show their utter disappointment and sorrow. Esme felt awful. She tried everything to save him, but it was never going to be enough. One teardrop made its way down her face. "Please, don't leave me alone again." His words were enough to shatter PB's heart. She knew how lonely they both felt without one another. Then from nowhere, Esme spoke out to Lemonfriend.

"Wait! Did you see that?" She exclaimed everyone looked at her with eye of woe. "His hand moved! Lemonfriend speak to him more! Interact!" In a flustered, hopeful state, Lemonfriend did exactly what was ordered.

"Come on Lemongrab, I know you can hear me! Follow my voice back to me! Please come back." Stroking and holding his hand, Lemonfriend witnessed his partner move his head ever so subtly as his weary eyes pealed open. They were only just open enough too adjusted to the light surrounding him. His eyes were blurred and he could barely see who was around him. Every noise he heard sounded like it was coming form underwater. Nevertheless he was back. "He's alive!" Proclaim Lemonfriend. Everyone was filled with ecstasy as they congratulated each other with warm hugs of delight. Lemongrab tried to speak out, but it was almost impossible with his dyed out mouth.

"Where...what happened?" He croaked.

"Shh, you were poisoned LG. We will explain later, right now you need to rest. Your body is still in shock." Esme pulled the covers over his torso to keep his body warm in the freezing climate. Lemongrab seemed to understand as he closed his eyes once more, only this time he peacefully slept. The antidote soon got to work, repairing his shaken body and organs. He was saved in the nick of time.

PB's lab was eerily quiet. Lemongrab had been moved in to the hospital a few days ago to be monitored now that he was back from death, so the princess's lab was back to normal. She was working on a small science project when the door to her messy lab was knocked gently. "Come in." Voiced the content princess. Slowly edging through the door was Esme who seemed on edge. She carefully closed the door and wandered over to PB's side; PB did not stop working until Esme was right next to her. "Oh, hello Esme, how's Lemongrab doing?"

"He's good. He's eating and is just able to sit up. But there is something I would like to discuss." In fear, the princess put everything down and gave Esme her full attention.

"What is it?" Asked the anxious princess. Esme pulled up a chair from a nearby table and sat down facing PB.

"What happened to Lemongrab was no accident. We know that. But it wasn't a one off attack either. More and more candy citizens are coming forward with reports of suspicious behaviour. "The irritable princess had tried to block that out. The thought of her people in danger made her heart ache and her stomach feel heavy. Although she would love to do something, she could not because she had no leads, no evidence, nothing. The criminals remained anonymous. Nevertheless, she returned her thoughts to the conversation at hand.

"I know. It's worrying me." Admitted the princess as she gazed to the floor in despair.

"Well, I suspect there is some kind of rebel group that is going against the kingdom." Suggested Esme. PB was just thinking how she had suspected the same and she could only think of the outcome. Terror. Terror that would wash over her every off night at the thought of her Kingdom in ruins.

"If there is, we will be ready for them." Stated the powerful princess. She gazed sternly in to Esme's eyes. She held a shred of doubt behind them, but who was she to question a princess.

"I know, I'm just suggesting that we should be ready at all times. We never know when they might strike again." PB arose from her seat at a leisurely pace to peer out of her window which had become steamed up. She could just about see candy citizens jumping around in the snow and letting out sounds of joy. Unbeknownst to them, they were in terrible danger from this possible threat. The uneasy princess turned back round to Esme.

"We will be." That was her only reply toward this troubling matter of war. Glancing out of the window one last time, the princess sighed and returned to her bench. "Umm, let me now how LG is doing the next time you see him. I must get on with this project."

"Of course, I will speak to you again later." And with that Esme left the panic stricken princess to proceed with her small experiment. The door to her lab creaked shut as Esme exited the room of woe. PB let out a long sigh but soon got back in to the right frame so she could concentrate on the work in hand. No point worrying about something that might not be true...she hoped it wasn't anyway.

Night fell upon the kingdom once again, blanketing everywhere with a thick layer of darkness which was cut up by streams of light from citizens houses. Sat peacefully in the hospital's private ward, Lemonfriend began to daydream whilst slumped in a tiny box chair provided by the nurses so he could sit at Lemongrab's bed side. It was made for candy citizens so it was very low to the ground meaning his legs were bent at an exaggerated angle, but he didn't care as long as he could sit by his partner's side. Lemongrab was lead peacefully in the bed with his eyes gently shut; however he soon came back to reality with a mumbled moan. Lemonfriend jumped up from his doll-like chair and arrived right at Lemongrab's bedside. Looking down at his lover, he witnessed him opening his sleepy eyes and connecting with his own. "Hi, how you feeling?" He asked innocently.

"Bit better." Crocked Lemongrab. He went to sit up but his shoulder was still healing from the wound. The wound was hidden under a cotton pad and bided by bandages to keep out infect. It burned as he accidental pulled on the muscle and stretched the surrounding skin. He gave out a small scream of pain and gritted his teeth tightly.

"Stop moving, you'll make it worse." Lemongrab ignored the advice given to him and proceeded to sit up. Finally he was able to rest his back against the head board on the hospital bed and sit with his partner.

"I just wanted to sit up." He confessed. Lemonfriend sighed at his lover while heading back to drag the chair next to his bed. Planting himself down, he rested his elbows on the white sheets and gazed up at his lover. "How long have you been here?" He queried.

"I'm not sure, I had a nap and lost track of time." Lemongrab rolled his eyes.

"I told you to go have a lie down." Lemongrab was worried about his other half. He hadn't had a proper night sleep in days. He was always by his side. While he was deeply touched by his selfless acts, he was looking worse than Lemongrab was. The dark circles developing under his eyes, which had become red from sleep deprivation, made him look like death warmed up.

"I'm alright." He said as he let out an almighty yawn. "I want to know that you're ok."

"I'm fine now. I hope to be out as soon as I'm strong enough." Stated Lemongrab. Lemonfriend didn't seem to be paying attention. He just drew circles on the bed sheets while holding a depressed expression. "What's wrong?"

"It terrified me, the way you just led there. I though I was too late...I almost lost you." The sour memory of seeing his lover lying dead was too much to handle. The few moments Lemongrab didn't move were the most petrifying few minutes of his life. Lemongrab felt his heart rip in two. Like it stopped beating again. He just used his hand to rub his partners' forearm.

"Well I'm not lost, I'm alive and well." Lemonfriend still just peered down at the bed, giving no attention to Lemongrab while he was wrapped in anguish. "You know, I could still hear everything being said. It can't remember all of it, but I remember you." Intrigued, Lemonfriend peered up in to Lemongrab's eyes.

"Really?" He questioned. "Do you remember what I said?" Lemongrab nodded but had a slight hint of sadness behind his eyes.

"I could hear you crying. So I tried to come back to you. Then I heard Esme mumble something to you, by which you asked me to follow your voice. The next thing I know, a bright light was shining and everyone was around me." Lemonfriend found it fascinating how the subconscious mind can still sense the presence of loved ones and can still hear noises around them. It was amazing how much Lemongrab could remember.

"Wow, that's exactly what happened." Admitted Lemonfriend. Lemongrab held on to Lemonfriend's warm hand and stroked it with his thumb.

"To say that it didn't help to bring me back would be a lie." He confessed. Lemonfriend smiled sweetly and felt full of glee to have his precious partner back again.

"I missed you." He whispered. Lemongrab grinned. Feeling touch by the loving words of Lemonfriend. He raised his undamaged arm in to a wide position. He gestured with his head and dreamy eyes for Lemonfriend to join him in a loving embrace. Without hesitation Lemonfriend waltzed over to the other side of the bed and peacefully led down in to Lemongrab's warm hold. Once he had settled, Lemongrab whispered in to his ear.

"I missed you too." No more words were uttered that night as the pair of them rested, happy in the knowledge they had each other once more.


	18. Chapter 17-In harms way

Chapter 17: In harms way

During Lemongrab recovery, the earth also had time to come back to its beautiful self. Greenery covered the horizon far away from the kingdom, while the pale yellow blossom of candy trees had finally bloomed brighter than ever. The clear blue skies and warmth emitted by the sun filled everyone with joy. At long last, spring had appeared to everyone in the kingdom; it banished the dull, dark days for another few months. Everything the light touched illuminated with vibrant colour bringing life to the once dead atmosphere.

Outside the castle in the grounds, our new heroes Lemongrab and Esme were about to begin training as always. Lemongrab's shoulder had just finished healing from the dramatic event at the Christmas evening so was taking it easy when practising. Esme was keeping a close eye on her friend to make sure he didn't do too much, as it would make his shoulder bad again. He held his sword in both of his hands and came in to a charging stance. He felt a twinge where his muscle had still not completely healed causing him to wince at the strong sting. "Are you sure you're gunna be ok to train like this?" Asked Esme.

"I need to. I haven't been able to practice for ages." Lemongrab threw down his sword in frustration, only to flinch at the arising string again. Sighing heavily he stomped over to a nearby bench and plonked himself down on the red and white candy bench to relax. Esme could see how worked up he had become from just being cooped up in the castle. He could walk to places and visit friends, but he loved to train; it was a way of controlling his temper. Over the past few weeks, he showed subtle signs of his old self coming through. For example, when he wandered with Esme down the corridor and knocked in to a servant, instead of apologising like usual he snapped at them, saying "watch where you're going!" in a raised tone. Esme was scared that one day he could snapped complete and revert back to his old ways. Lemonfriend had been able to release some of his frustration in obvious ways, but he too had noticed how he was. To console her dear friend, Esme slowly approached him and sat down next to him. He was leaning forward with his head facing down and resting on his hand.

"I know it annoying. Not being able to do something you know you can. But if you're patient the reward will soon appear to you. In this case, if you heal properly, you will be even better at fighting in practise than you are now." Explained the innocent girl. Lemongrab just grunted. He had heard this all before from the princess and Lemonfriend about how he should be patient with his recovery and he will heal in no time.

"I have been patient. A whole 4 months waiting and I'm still bad." He spat. "I just want to go back to normal already." Esme didn't want to let Lemongrab train with his arm still hurting, but at the same time if he didn't, his frustration would just build. Suddenly, an idea sprung in to Esme's mind. He might not be able to train with his arms, but his feet were fine.

"I know why don't we go for a run instead." Lemongrab peered up at Esme, while she continued to explain. "We don't have to tree run, but a simple run should be fine for you arm; it will get you completely out of the castle as well, which I think you need." A gleeful spirit arose from within Lemongrab. Being cooped up in his room had really played with his mind; he was becoming more and more restless. He leapt up from the seat with a small smile on his face.

"You're right. I just need to get away for a bit." Esme patted him on his healthy shoulder. She was chuffed at his sudden rise in happiness.

"Great, we just need to put our weapons back in the holders and we can get going." It didn't take the two long before their training ground was clear of weapons or anything for that matter. With everything away, the pair set off to the nearby forests to run through the wilderness and take in the glory of nature.

Crunch crunch goes the sticks underneath Lemongrab's feet as he carelessly sprints through the dense forest without a worry in the world; finally he felt free and exuberant. It was amazing how much a simple activity can change a mood from being depressed to on top of the world. The new born branches stroked his tough skin as he pushed pass them speedily. Underneath the echoing sounds of cracking twigs, the young song birds sung their pleasing songs in time with each other; the woodland was alive with energy and life.

Once the both of them became breathless from the extreme amount of running they had just completed, they stopped together to gather their bearings and have a quick drink break. "How far do you think we've run?" Asked Lemongrab while panting uncontrollably. Esme scanned the area around her. All the pathways looked the same. Green and elongated. The forest was dense with plant life so they must be near the very centre of the enormous land mass.

"I'm not sure, let me climb this tree and I will have a look." Without hesitation Esme began to clamber up the tall tree to see above the canopy that kept them sheltered from the warming sun. While she was climbing, Lemongrab rested up his body and stretched out his muscles to stop them cramping up. Taking small sips of his water, he took in the amazing scenery around him. Branches filled with bright green leaves swayed gently in the subtle breeze. His daydream in paradise was soon ended when he heard Esme exclaim something from within the never ending maze of branches and leaves. He couldn't quite hear what she said, until she started to climb back to the ground. "We're ages away!" She exclaimed again.

"We must have lost track of time." Suggested Lemongrab.

"Come on, by the time we get back to the kingdom we would have been out for just over an hour." Lemongrab felt satisfied by the amount of time he had been away from the kingdom of sugar and was ready to crash. However from swinging his arm during his run, the wound on his shoulder was starting to sting again. Rolling his shoulder in pain, he asked a favour of Esme.

"Hey, do you mind if we take it easy for a bit, my stupid arm is playing up again." Esme had no intentions of pushing her mate into doing something that hurt him, so took it easy on him.

"Of course, how about we walk instead. It will be good to catch up on things." Replied the sweet girl with a smile. Lemongrab nodded happily to show his agreement with the idea. He felt like he was finally able to be happy again instead of being irritated by very petty things. So without moments hesitate they began their journey back to the kingdom.

45 minutes had past and the duo were finally nearing the kingdom again. During their trek back home, they were able to touch on many topics, ranging from training to some of Esme's random thoughts about the world. Soon enough it got on to LG's relationships with people in the kingdom whether they were friendships or how things were between him and Lemonfriend. "I'm telling you she does." Voiced Esme. Lemongrab rolled his eyes. Esme was arguing with him about Marceline and how she cares about him now he has changed.

"How do you know she does?" Questioned Lemongrab.

"When you were lying on that bed in PB's lab not moving, I swear I saw a small tear form in her eyes. It could just be because everyone else was sad or the fact that she has seen the new you and, like everyone else, can see themselves being friends with you." Lemongrab shrugged the explanation off and just focused on walking.

"Well, maybe it WAS just everyone else that made her that way. Anyway enough about my relationships, what about you? Have you met anyone yet?" Asked Lemongrab in a cheeky fashion, as he nudged her shoulder gently.

"No and I don't need to. I'm quite happy as I am thank you." Esme brushed off the question with style and sass as usual

"Oh come on. I came to the kingdom and within a few weeks I was with Lemonfriend." Esme rolled her eyes. "There must be someone that takes your fancy."

"Well no one round her is my type to be honest." An idea sprang to Lemongrab's mind. He was so curious about Esme and her love life; he thought he could make it pay back for all those times Esme had talked to him about his love life. So he took the opportunity to put his nose in her business.

"Well, what is your type? You've never told me, so maybe if you tell me now I can look out for you." Esme peered up at Lemongrab only to be greeted with an impudent smirk. Esme never really thought about her 'type' but now she had to, so Lemongrab would leave her alone.

"He'd have to be caring to others. That's a major factor. If he is selfish, intolerant or mean to anyone in anyway, I will never date him."

"So I was off the menu then." Teased Lemongrab. Esme chuckled at her friend. As she though back to their history together. It was safe to say, she did not like Lemongrab in the slightest. But she saw him as a challenge that would improve her rehabilitation skills dramatically. Although she had no intension of becoming friends with him, they actually had quite a few things in common and she was surprised at how much he changed.

"Yes you were, although the present you would be alright to date." Said Esme with a childish giggle

"Ha, I'm alright thanks." Joked Lemongrab. "What else do you look for in a partner?"

"Hmm, scruffy-ish hair, not too tall, doesn't have to be tough cos I can fill in that roll." Esme continued to joke about her Perfect mate, while Lemongrab put the different pieces together in his head to imagine her perfect partner. "This might seem mean or impossible, but I would love to meet another fruit person like me; slightly human looking but not if you know what I mean."

"I understand. Well sorry to say but the person in my head is looking a lot like Finn." Esme voiced one loud 'HA' before letting out her opinion.

"Look, Finn is a sweet boy, but that's what he is, a boy. I'm too old for him, so maybe someone who is more mature." Lemongrab sighed deeply.

"Good luck ever finding the 'perfect man'. I mean the chance of meeting a human-like candy person is slim, but not impossible." Esme looked up to him in hope and was very intrigued.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, PB did use to make Human looking people like me and your family, but it takes a lot of candy and complicated science. So near the end, when she was tired and running out of candy, she made the rest of the population how they looked compared to their source material." Once Lemongrab had stopped his explanation, Esme's hopeful mind began to wonder.

"So there are more humanoid people."

"Yeah, but their in Kingdoms far far away." Esme slumped her shoulders in disappointment. She was so close to finding Mr Right, but the time wasn't right so she put it at the back of her mind, to linger where it always has.

While the pair were neared the kingdom, they heard weird noises and strange light coming from the kingdom. Fear rushed over them like a tsunami. Running to the clearing, the noises got clearer and more vivid; they seemed to be screams and smashing material. "What the hell is going on?" Exclaimed Esme. Once at the clearing, the two brave Warriors were stopped in their tracks. Fires blazed from different houses, people were escaping through the emergency exits and everyone was in a fit of panic. They ran as fast as they could towards the candy citizens and tried to calm some of them down so they could speak. Calmly, Lemongrab pulled aside a citizen and let them settle down before asking them questions.

"What happened?" Asked Lemongrab to a young, scared citizen.

"They came out of nowhere! Weapons I've never seen!"

"Who came out of nowhere?" The candy citizen was still shaking and frantically looking around him for sighs of the evil gang. "Don't worry; we won't let them get you. Just tell us who it was."

"I don't know they seem like a big gang of thugs! Three of them headed straight for the castle, while the others trashed the kingdom!" Lemongrab had heard enough and let the citizen escape with everyone else; He debriefed to Esme who became incensed extremely quickly. "We need to sneak in to the castle. If we get spotted they might react badly to the people in the cast..." Suddenly Lemongrab realised something. "No... Esme we need to go now, everyone is in there! PB invited Finn and Jake round and Lemonfriend hangs around with them. We need to hurry and help them!"

"Agreed, come on! If we go round the back, we should be able to get in undetected." Without a moment's hesitation, the duo of fighters fought their way through the crowd of panicking citizens and dashed as quickly as they could to save the life of the people they held dear.

Just like a couple of shadows, the pair entered the eerie castle inaudibly through the secret tunnels underneath the towering structure. Clambering up from the dark tunnel, they reached up to the hatch that lead to a small room, much like a pantry, and silently tip-toed across the room to the door. Upon closer inspection, they noticed how quiet and abandoned the castle had turned. To say the pair weren't scared was a lie. Their biggest fear was where their friends were. They could have been injured or worse, so they had to move quickly and ninja-like through the castle to inspect everywhere.

While scanning the corridors, Esme heard faith footsteps sprinting towards them. "Shh, hide." She whispered. They hid themselves behind a pillar to try and merge in with the castles structure. They heard high pitched panting breathes coming towards them. Lemongrab poked his head round slightly to see who it was. It was one of his younger lemon creations. He slowly let his body be shown to the small creature that ran right up to him for safety.

"Help me, your earlness! Help!" Lemongrab knelt down on to one knee and threw his arms open so the lemon child could run in to the safety of his creators strong arms. The creation leapt up in the embrace and tried to hide his face for safety. He was quivering violently.

"Little lemon peep, what's wrong? What's happened?" Lemongrab tried to calm the innocent lemon child down but he was still petrified after many strokes and tender words. "Don't worry your safe now." His encouraging words allowed the child to relax finally and it was able to utter his distressing message.

"They came from no where. I hid in the tunnels for safety and heard the princess and father being taken to the hall!" Lemongrab's worries escalated to a new height; at least now he knew where to head to. But as for the lemon peep, he had to get to safety. The princess had made a secret camp in a secret location so if they ever had to evacuate, the citizens can go there for safety, so Lemongrab knew he had to go there.

"Do you know the secret location? For an emergency?" Still shaking from the trauma, the child nodded. "Go down this tunnel and it will take you outside the kingdoms walls. Meet everyone else in the safe place. Be careful, and we'll handle the thugs." Lemongrab let the lemon child go after one more reassuring hug. He saluted his earl and dashed to the end of the tunnel like he was ordered. Just like that, he had vanished and Lemongrab and Esme were left alone once again. "Right, come on. We have no time to waste." Before Lemongrab could dash off, Esme halted him.

"Wait. We can't just waltz in to the hall, as we don't know who we are dealing with. We need to get to the hallways above the hall and overlook it."

"You mean where that mystery assassin was?" Esme nodded with confidence.

"They shouldn't see us there and we will get a chance to see what we are up against." Lemongrab thought hard about this plan. He really wanted to just bash his way through the hall doors and take down who ever dared mess with his loved ones. But she had a point. Citizens had described them with a strange weapon, which could make it dangerous to just charge head on at them.

"Alright, let's get going." Agreed Lemongrab. At high speed, the courageous fighters headed to the west wings of the hall to investigate their intruders.

Esme and Lemongrab tried to lie low to the banister that protected them from falling on to the hall floor and peered through gaps in between the boards. There in the hall was a furious looking PB, Lemonfriend, Finn and Jake who all had their hands tied behind their backs. Jake had been submerged in a heavy metal type contraption to stop him from using his stretching abilities. All weapons had been put on a table near by with one perpetrator judging all the weaponry they had stolen, including Lemongrab's sword. "Nothing much here boss. Just a bunch of old time junk." Said the villain. He had a black leather jacket, with a white top on underneath and pitch black jeans. More worryingly, he had a knife belt around his waist which held two long daggers. He was a pale shade of blue and had no hair; he had a weird egg shaped head. "I say we just sell them."

"No way! That's my sword!" Argued Finn. An evil guard behind Finn jabbed him in the head to be quiet.

"Take it easy, we need them conscious and alive." Spoke what seemed to be the leader; his voice was low and threatening. He looked like someone you should not upset. Broad shoulders, square jaw and a scar running across his right eye; the eyeball seemed clouded. Pale purple in colour with a dark shade of purple for his hair, he wore a sleeveless waist coat-type shirt which was the same grey as his trousers. A shoulder pad was placed on one arm and two belt like straps were draped across his body to create a cross shape; they were made from brown leather and had silver buckles. His under shirt was an extremely dark grey. He also wore a belt with a holder for a weapon, but the shape was like nothing Lemongrab had ever seen. The shape seemed to be for a gun but it was bigger and wider. The weapon was missing. "Now princess, how about we make this easy and you just tell me where he is." Spat the violent looking man.

"I don't know, but even if I did I would never tell you!" The princess held a strong scowl at the man who was staring angrily at her. He turned his attention to Lemonfriend who also sat and peered confidently in to his eyes. He stepped closer to Lemonfriend and knelt down, invading his personal space.

"What about you?" He said in a menacing but quiet fashion. "Do you know where he is?" Lemonfriend kept his lips shut tightly, like they had been sewn together. "Well that is a shame. But I think I know the perfect person who would love to spend time with you to get our answer." He walked away cockily a clicked his fingers twice to signal to his mate. From out of the shadows came a deep red-headed male, with a short shaggy beard. His hair was longer than the others, reached his neck and tucked in to his unusually long collar of his grey waist coat. A chain hung around his neck tightly and another one was hanging out of his pocket. With sleeves rolled up, a knife in hand and chunky black boots he strolled over to Lemonfriend with heavy feet. Lemonfriend couldn't believe it.

"Rogan." It was only just audible for Lemongrab to hear, but as soon as the sound met his ears, he instantly became infuriated. That was the evil man that hurt someone Lemongrab cared about the most. He began to try and stand up to fight, but Esme stopped his abruptly.

"I want to beat him up to. Trust me I do. But the timing isn't right." He sighed heavily and returned to his spying position.

"Well well well, if it isn't my old flame. Did you miss me when you banished me?" Said Rogan through gritted teeth.

"Don't you come near me." Lemonfriend didn't want to make eye contact with the vile man, so just stared down at the cold floor he was at on. He could feel a big chill run up his spine, as Rogan stepped closer and closer to him. Lemonfriend just wanted to close his eyes and make him vanish in to thin air, but he was trapped in the moment so had no choice but to deal with Rogan's plan. The bearded villain knelt down right in front of Lemonfriend and used his dagger to push up Lemonfriend's chin, so they made unwanted eye contact.

"Come now, all this time and you won't just be civil with me." He voiced mischievously. Lemonfriend felt a twinge of fear run through his heart and Rogan could sense this. "Ha ha, still scared hey? You should be." With those last few threatening words, Rogan stood back on his feet and paced back to his boss. "They'll be push over's dude."

"I know, but I still want to know where they have hidden him." The spies hiding in the wings were feeling more confused as time went by. Who was he looking for? But their thoughts weren't able to manifest for long. They were too focused on the scene unfolding in front of their eyes, to notice two massive bad guys sneak up behind them and pick them up like dolls. Esme and Lemongrab tried to fight back against the men but it was hopeless. They were grabbed and trapped in the hold of the monsters that had bad intensions. They dangled their helpless bodies over the barrier and dropped them without a single thought; Esme and Lemongrab hit the ground with a big thud. Although it wasn't a too bigger drop, it still demobilised Lemongrab for a moment, as the pain from his arm erupted. The rest of his body was fine due to his lemony think skin but when he glanced over to Esme he found her lying still on her front. He remembered that Esme was of peach origin so was very easy to bruise; he dreaded what the fall had done to her body.

"Esme?" He whispered. The side of her face was a dark peachy pink and her eye had swallow up. She wriggled in pain, trying to get up but she was too battered and draining from the pain. Before he could help his dear friend, Lemongrab was yanked up by the blue villain and another mysterious person and was restrained. The boss began to chuckle as he waltz over to face Lemongrab. Lemongrab peered at him with fury burning in his eyes.

"And just like a cue, you fall from your hiding spot." The purple candy man looked up to his friends. "Cheers guys, go have fun in the village now." A loud, maniacal chuckle was projected by the henchmen as they stomped off in to the darkness. Every time Lemongrab tried to see if Esme was alright, his head was forced back. How he hoped she was alright. "Oh don't worry about your friend..." The bad boss signalled to his other mates with a head gesture to collect her bruised body and place her next to the other. "I'll tell them to be gentle." As Esme was picked up off the floor, she grunted in agony; the full extent of her injuries was shown now. The whole front of her body was deep purple, like one massive bruise. Her arm and chest almost looked crushed from the impact of the fall and she could walk, since her toes and foot was broken. Everyone was in shock of the damage done to her. It was a surprise she was alive. "Ouch, that's got to hurt."

"Don't you dare do anything to her, or to anyone for that matter. You wanted me and now you got me." Lemongrab was brave to speak out to the nasty gang.

"Firstly, our intensions are not innocent, I confess to that so I can't promise none of them will get hurt. But you are also right. I do have you now." Lemongrab didn't show any sign of fear and kept his brave face on. The boss wandered over to a large black bag, like a training bag, which hid some interesting and complicated items in there. He pulled out a small, weird black box which had a key pad and pointer on the top. Also, a technical looking gun was placed in the empty holder he had. "Does anyone have any questions before we unleash our plan?" Said the cocky villain.

"Yeah I gotta question." Yelled Jake. "Who the heck are you guys?"

"I'm so sorry, how rude we never introduced ourselves." Said the boss while chuckling. "My name is Ivan. Ivan Piper." He pointed over to his two main henchmen. "Blue guy is Hayden and as you know oh to well Lemonfriend, the red man is Rogan." Lemonfriend took a deep breath in. He was beyond frightened now. More petrified.

"One more thing!" Voiced Lemongrab. Ivan peered over impatiently to LG. "Why do you want me?" Ivan chuckle evilly and wandered back over to Lemongrab.

"Along with all these people you see before us, you were the biggest problem with my plan." He began to pace while explaining his thoughts. "You see, I am taking over this Kingdom and building it up from scratch, but I needed to get some certain royalties out of the way. I had a plan to take them down, but with the security here it was impossible. When one of my boys finally got in to do the dirty deed, you got in the way and ruined it all." Taking ever thing he was saying in to consideration, Lemongrab had an idea of what he meant.

"You ordered someone to throw that poisoned dagger at PB. Didn't you?" Laughing out loud, Ivan pulled out his weapon and aimed it at PB. Everyone panicked and tried to struggle free to help her. But they had no need to.

"That was my original plan, yes. Get PB off the throne I get on it. But then the more I thought about, the more I began to realise it would be better to keep her alive. Just have her as one of my workers. More humiliation."

"You have one problem there, mate." Spat an infuriated Lemongrab. "You cannot claim the throne without a connection to royalty. You are not an heir!" Yet again, Ivan chuckled along with his fellow villains. This made Lemongrab feel slightly unsettled.

"I reckon you should just tell them princess. Save me the breath." The princess sighed and looked at her older creation with sorrow gleaming from her eyes.

"Ivan was created before you Lemongrab." Everyone gasped in shock at the secret PB had been holding in all this time. "The formula was all right, the calculations added up, but I didn't notice that the candy can have an impact. When creating Ivan, I accidentally used bad, rotten candy. I knew he should never claim the throne with his attitude and style of making people obey, so I banished him from the kingdom." PB let her head drop in shame. "I'm sorry, but Ivan has the right to the throne." Everyone was silent. Lemongrab couldn't believe what he was hearing from his creator. Why had she never mentioned this to people?

"So you see, my plan is fine. And it is going just as planned." Ivan put his weapon back in his holder to free his hand. Whilst eyeing up Lemongrab for the things he could steal and sell, an odd shine attracted his attention. Trudging to LG once more, he inspected what the mysterious shimmer was. It was the other half of the locket he gave to Lemonfriend. "This is nice quality, could go for a few bucks." Yanking the necklace off of LG's neck, Ivan walked away to put the newly discovered item on the table filled with booty. There was a special bowl that held all jewellery in it so he decided to add it to the collect. Meanwhile, Lemongrab knew he couldn't just stand there. He had to get out of the grip Hayden and the other henchman had on him. Planning out his escape seemed impossible, until he noticed how close his hand was to one of Hayden's daggers. If he could get the dagger, he couldn't defend himself and fight the others. While Ivan had his back to Lemongrab and everyone else weren't concentrating, Lemongrab sprang his muscles and violent thrashed his body out of the grip. His arm hurt but it was worth the sacrifice to save his loved ones. Ducking down he grabbed the dagger and pulled it from its holder. Ivan didn't turn around through all of the carnage.

"What the hell are you doing?" Said Hayden through with burning frustration in his eyes.

"I'm much more skilled than you, so drop your weapons and walk back." The pair just laughed was going to go in for the kill, but Ivan stopped them abruptly.

"Wait!" All eyes focused on Ivan. He slowly went over to Rogan with something in his fist and whispered an order in his ear. Rogan chuckled and picked up his knife. "We know how to get him to obey." Boomed Ivan, while Rogan paced over to his ex-lover. Before Lemonfriend knew it, he was being tugged violent off the floor by Rogan and the knife was put near his neck, like he was going to slit it open. Lemongrab felt sick from anxiety. "He won't do anything now."

"How can you be so sure, Ivan?" Asked Hayden. Finally Ivan opened his fist and allowed the content to dangle out of his hand. It was the locket Lemongrab had, but it was connected to Lemonfriend's half which was on the table. Ivan must have spotted it while he took LG's locket there.

"He won't do anything now, because he doesn't want his boyfriend to be hurt." Hayden relaxed his body and strolled over to his boss with an evil smirk on his face.

"Pure genius and so effective." The trio chuckled at their discovery.

"Now if you want him to stay alive, in fact, if you want any of them to live, I suggest you drop the weapon and put your hands up." Ivan gave his order and was waiting impatiently for it to be completed. To show how serious they were, Rogan pressed the knife in to Lemonfriend's neck, so it made his wince and let out a small noise of pain. Lemongrab didn't want any harm to anyone especially Lemonfriend, so reluctantly he did what he was told to do. The dagger clanged on the floor, as Lemongrab released his grip on it and raised his hands so they were next to his ears. "Good man. Now then." Ivan pulled out the weird black box and pressed a few buttons on it. Suddenly there was a loud bang which startled everyone. Behind Lemongrab a swirling purple and black portal had opened up ready to shallow up a victim. Before Lemongrab could step away from the portal, Ivan had grabbed his wrists and was holding him close to his face. "I could just push you in here and you would be transport far away. But knowing you, you'd come back like a boomerang soon enough. So I must do something...extra." Ivan leaps away from an enraged Lemongrab, yanked out his mysterious weapon and pulled the trigger. After an ear-splitting bang, Lemongrab curled up in pain as the side of his body was blasted by a large fire bullet. He gave out a wail of pain. Ivan stepped forward again and kicked him in to the portal with all his might; once Lemongrab fell through it, it closed. He was gone. Lemonfriend screamed out in despair as he realised what had just unfolded in those mere few seconds.

"You monsters!" Cried Lemonfriend, as the tears rolled down his face.

"Quiet you! You have no need to be upset. I'll look after you." Whispered Rogan. Lemonfriend shuddered in fear and sadness. He couldn't believe Lemongrab was gone. He didn't want to believe it. Lemonfriend tried to struggle out of the hold of Rogan and his bonds but his efforts were in vain.

"Ok, now he's gone..." Ivan threw the lockets on the table once more and pointed to his henchmen." You lot, take these guys to the dungeon until we have changed a few things. And Rogan you can choose a room with your new toy and settle yourselves in." All of our heroes were in shock horror of what just happened in front of their very eyes. Tears formed in the princess' eyes as she mourned the loss of her creation. Poor Esme was unconscious from her injuries and was trying to rest up and heal. She had no idea her best friend was gone. As for Finn and Jake, they began to fight against the force of the henchmen but had no choice and had to give in to the abnormally strong guys. Everyone was guided to their nightmare destination, as the spirit of the candy kingdom shrivelled and died. There was no hope for them.

His chest burned. His skin was on fire. When Lemongrab opened his eyes he saw a pure blue blanket coating the sky. The baking sand and the blazing sun burning his skin. He seemed to be in some kind of dessert in the middle of nowhere with nothing in sight for miles and miles. When he tried to move, the pain from his side became unbearable and he had to stop for a moment to regain his composure. After many many attempt of getting up, Lemongrab couldn't face the pain anymore and gave in to the injury. He felt defeated and hopeless; He had no choice but to accept faith. Still on his front, Lemongrab let a tear fall from his eye. "I failed." He whispered to himself in a depressed manner. The soft breeze blew sand over Lemongrab's still body, as his eyes began to close and the world became dark. Was this the end of the road for him? From Lemongrab's perspective, it seemed to be.


	19. Chapter 18-Lost

Since we last saw the candy kingdom, it was bright and welcoming. The whole world was in a new state of life and vibrant colours, which attracted the eyes of everyone. Now, dark clouds overcast the whole castle, covering it in a gloomy blanket of dullness. The hopes of many had shattered on the cold, burnt floors of people's homes. The kingdom was in ruin. An eerie atmosphere ran throughout the streets, as the sound of happy people talking or laughing was replaced by a chilling silence. The citizens had been found in the forest and were transported back to the kingdom to be kept as workers for the new people in charge; they were made to rebuild their own homes as well as things for the Evil 'Royals'. Inside the now grey and deadly-looking castle PB, Lemonfriend, Finn and Jake were all being made to do exhausting or degrading things against their wills. PB had become a type of serving girl for Ivan and had to stay by him at all times; Ivan, Rogan and Hayden all sat on thrones with dark frames and red cushions. Her clothes looked like old rags sewn together to create a dirty looking, pink dress that reached her knees. The edges were torn and untidy. Her hair was done up in a messy bun, which gave the impression of exhaustion. Finn and Jake had been made in to jesters and were the entertainment for the group. Sadly, their type of entertainment was to watch them get brutally beat up as they tried to fight against strong, massive warriors. If they lost, they had to sleep in the dungeon and only ate bread. Due to the lack of energy and vitamins, Finn and Jake were too weak to fight so never had a chance at winning.

As for Lemonfriend, he had become Rogan's man slave and, as he would describe him, his 'boy toy'. He had light brown, knee-high shorts which again were untidy, dirty and ragged. They were tightened around his waist using one piece of string to keep up his shorts. He had no shirt which made him freezing but the despicable Rogan didn't care. Lemonfriend always felt humiliated. To make matters worse, he also had shackles on his wrists and one shackle acting as a collar, like he was some kind of dog. One chain was connected to his collar, while the other split and controlled both of his hands. Rogan held on tightly to the chains. They were in place as Lemonfriend had gotten out of the room and tried to run away but was caught by guards and thrown in the dungeon until Rogan found out what to do with him. Chaining and controlling him seemed to be his solution. Rogan tugged on his chains to snap Lemonfriend out of his daydream. "Hey." He called. "You're missing all the action." Finn and Jake were fighting in a ring placed in the middle of the hall against two giant men, who wiped the floor with them.

"I don't want to watch, thanks." Said Lemonfriend who held an irritated expression. Rogan sighed heavily.

"Fine, if you're not going to enjoy this, then you can go get me a glass of wine." He ordered.

"Nice idea Rogan." Added Ivan. "PB, could you be a dear and do the same?" They both wandered slowly over to the table which had a red cover, fruit bowls, jugs filled with wine inside and a whole array of food spread over it. PB took this as an opportunity to speak to Lemonfriend and find out how he is coping.

"How you keeping? What has that brute done to you?" The princess sounded extremely worried and infuriated.

"I'm fine; I just keep stopping him from doing...anything." Lemonfriend shuddered slightly. It won't be long until Rogan becomes bored of Lemonfriend's resistant's, causing him to snap and be horrid to him. Lemonfriend dreaded the day. He thought back to the day Lemongrab reluctantly departed the kingdom and his life, which made his heart ache and made it feel like it turned in to stone. He thought back the tears bravely and tried to keep his mind off the subject in front of Rogan. "How's Esme holding up?" He asked at a quiet level.

"She's fine and making big progress. But she's still in pain." The nurses of the kingdom had been treating her to the best of their abilities and she is well in to her recovery; but it will still be awhile until she is back to her normal self. PB and Lemonfriend's catch-up was soon interrupted by the new cruel leader.

"Less chatter you two." He yelled. Lemonfriend headed back to Rogan as his chains were tugged towards him. PB soon went back to Ivan's side with his drink and passed it to him gently, so she didn't annoy him further. "Ah, that's better." He took the drink in to his hand and swung it near Rogan's cup. "Cheers mate. Here's to a successful take over." The gauntlets clanged together and the men took massive gulps of the dry, strong content in to their mouth. While Rogan was finally quiet, Lemonfriend had the opportunity to daydream back to the happy days with LG. Like how they would always go to their secret place and snuggle under the warming sun and be hushed by the flow of this river. Everything was perfect until these guys stormed in capturing the whole kingdom. A lump of sadness arose in to Lemonfriend's throat as he thought back to the dramatic event again. First Lemongrab was there and then after a swift blast and kick, he was gone. Forever. Fighting back the tears, Lemonfriend just focused on where he was and how he could escape with everyone else. It seemed impossible but he was determined to achieve it. For the sake of everyone.

Going back to the day he was transported to the mysterious desert, Lemongrab was passed out awaiting his fate. He couldn't remember anything more than the painful shot of the powerful gun penetrating his side and falling in to a dry environment that was impossible to survive in. After that everything went black. Little did Lemongrab know, but an unlikely hero had landed next to him to collect treasure and took his dying body onboard his machine to try and save him. Lemongrab was placed on a soft, restful bed so he could sleep off his recovery in comfort. A bizarre liquid was poured on to his open wound to help to heal major injuries. Strangely, the once open wound began to close at a leisurely pace and pieces of Lemongrab's muscles and tissue were instantly repaired by the supernatural cure. Remarkably, the massive hole in Lemongrab's side had vanished and closed up like it wanted even there in the first place.

It took a further 30 minutes before Lemongrab fully opened his eyes and took in his new surroundings he was now placed in. Every single wall was made out of large oak panels, creating the appearance of a cute wood cabin. Opposite his bed, which was placed in the far corner of the room, there was a small shelf for everyday items. For example, there was a blue toothbrush, a wooden-handled hairbrush with black bristles and a note book and pen. A small circle window was the only thing helping to brighten the dim room along so a small lamp by the bed. Lemongrab wriggled his weary body in his accommodated bed, trying to see where he was now. To his surprise, he was in the air on some kind of flying boat high above the earth. White clouds leisurely past his window and coated the boat with moist drops of water held within the cloud. Suddenly the door handle to the minuscule room was twisted and a short man waddled in. "Ah, you're awake." He said cheerily. The man in question was pink in colour and had a cream all on one suit with orange boots; it covered his head as well with an odd dish-like object. His moustache was white in colour and was trimmed perfectly. "How you feeling?" He asked.

"A lot better thanks." Lemongrab felt dazed and confused about the recent events and his new surroundings were not helping his bewilderment.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Phlannel Boxingday, but you can just call me Phlannel." The exuberant traveller smiled in a friendly manner towards the drained and disconcerted Lemongrab.

"Hello Phlannel, I'm Lemongrab." Phlannel looked slightly taken back when Lemongrab said his name. A mixture of shock, perplexity and fear had made its way in to his expression.

"Lemongrab? But you looked so...so..." Phlannel didn't know how to end his sentence without upsetting Lemongrab. From what he heard about the Earl, he was easily upset and made drastic actions about things people say or do. Lemongrab could see the discomfort on his face and the nervousness in his hushed voice, so decided to put him out of his misery.

"Fat?" He said bluntly. Phlannel was speedy with his defensive reply.

"No! ...Different, I was going to say different." Phlannel exclaimed while strolling fully in to the room and sat on a chair nearby. "So how the hell did you manage to change so drastically?" He asked curiously.

"I got major help from people and just fixed my physical and mental state. Simple." Lemongrab began to sit up on the bed slowly. Although his wound had healed over, his side was still slightly painful to move or put pressure on. As he stretched out his side to sit up, he winced and took a sharp inhale of breath through his sharp gritted teeth.

"Careful there, your wound might be healed but the muscle needs time to relax or you will tear it again." Explained the cheerful chap. Lemongrab was greatly intrigued as to how this mysterious man was able to fix his fatal wound so quickly and without it leaving a massive scar to remind him of that terrible day.

"How did you heal me so quick?" Inquired the astonished Lemongrab. Phlannel chuckled lightly and wandered over to a closed wooden cupboard, which was locked with a padlock, keeping the two doors shut. Pulling a rather large, bronze key out of his jacket pocket, he unlocked the secured doors with one swift twist of his wrist and revealed the magical cure.

"I used this." He proudly displayed the crystal glass bottle in his hands. The liquid was deep, ocean blue in colour and had sparkles of magic within it. Lemongrab had never seen such a substance before. It was captivating. "This is called Ticlagatrine." Already Lemongrab was flustered just by the scientific name. "A very, very rare potion that can heal all injuries and illnesses, that's why I keep it in a secure place. I got it off a secret magic market for wizards and was able to trade it for black diamonds."

"That's amazing." Slightly jumbled in the mind, Lemongrab's and Phlannel's interesting conversation drew to an Abrupt close as the door to the room opened gingerly. Dumbfounded, Lemongrab was greeted by an innocent, familiar face. Lemonhope.

"I've got the dinner Phlan...AH!" As the panic-stricken Lemonhope gasped at the sudden encounter with one of his creators, he dropped the tray of food, letting it crash to the floor and spilling every last drop into the surrounding trap and cabin floor. There was what seemed like an endless silence before Lemonhope ran out of the door way and away from Lemongrab. As he sprinted away, Lemongrab tried to talk to him to calm his nerves but by the time he called his name, Lemonhope was long gone; hidden away in his room. Lemongrab let out a disheartened sigh and peered down into his lap to hide the despair slowly appearing in his expression. Lemonhope was one of his and Lemonfriend's most successful creations and it fills him with utter shame to think about what he did to him. No wonder he ran away from him. He only wished to give him a heartfelt and meaningful apology, but it will be impossible to do that, if Lemonhope is terrified of him and hides away forever. Phlannel saw the heartache Lemongrab showed and wandered whether he should intervene. He knew what Lemongrab had done, but he seemed so different to the stories now. He at least deserved a chance to redeem himself.

"Let me go talk to him, I will be back soon." Phlannel exited the room expeditiously to try and find his young apprentice, leaving Lemongrab to just wish and hope that he will be able to see Lemonhope and talk to him now that his head is in the right place. Lemongrab leisurely led down on the luxurious linen to allow his body to rest and heal. Thoughts of Lemonfriend and everyone back in the candy kingdom crept in to his head, causing even more dreadful and depressing visions to enter his mind. He dreaded to think what that awful Rogan was doing with his loved one. Lemongrab extremely missed the presents of his partner, longing to hold him and never let go. He desperately needed to get home and save everyone before it was too late. That was the worse thought that occurred to him. The tragic death of all he holds dear. No, he wouldn't let that happen. It wouldn't. However, this did not stop the tears from crawling out of his eyes, down the side of his face and on to the fluffy pillow that propped up his head. Turning his body to face the wall, Lemongrab silently wept to himself, as his fears all seemed to come true in his mind and produced heartbreaking situations that he had always lived in fear of.

Phlannel subtly knocked on the door to Lemonhope's quarters, but he got no immediate response. "Lemonhope? It's Phlannel. Can I come in for a moment?" Phlannel patiently waited for the reply from Lemonhope, but when no sound was enacted from the room Phlannel wondered if Lemonhope was even in there. Before he turned away to inspect the rest of the boat, or the cloud in the sky as it appeared to be, the door handle turned gradually until the latch was fully tucked away. Little by little, the creaky door unlatched to reveal a jittery Lemonhope who hid his vulnerable body behind the door. Lemonhope remained behind the door, as he fully opened the door to let Phlannel in to him room. As soon as Phlannel was out of the way of the doors path, Lemonhope shut it instantly. He was still petrified that Lemongrab was after him after all this time. The both of the blocked themselves down on the soft bed to talk through Lemonhope's thoughts and feelings about the situation. "Look, Lemonhope..." Phlannel was trying to be gentle with the subject as he knew about Lemonhope's past with Lemongrab and didn't want to upset him further. "I know you're scared, but..."

"But it's him!" Cried Lemonhope abruptly. "He's back to taunt me." Lemonhope was glum and terror-stricken by the presents of Lemongrab in his life again. After what happened to him, being locked in the bathroom with a shock collar on, it will be next to impossible to just forgive and forget immediately without knowing him more.

"I know he did." Replied Phlannel. His voice had a sympathetic tone. "But does he look like that fat dictation you grew up with? I'm surprised you recognised him." Lemonhope couldn't deny that Lemongrab had changed. He only recognised Lemongrab by his clothes, because only two lemon men were designed like that and Lemonfriend always wore white, not black.

"He always wore black to show the difference between him and my other master. Also, what other lemon is shaped like a human, like him?" After explaining his thought process, Phlannel could see how Lemonhope knew it was Lemongrab. "But just because he looks different, doesn't mean he has changed totally." Lemonhope firmly crossed his chubby arms and turned his head away from Phlannel like a grumpy child, causing a noiseless sigh to escape Phlannel's lips.

"Correct, yet I have been speaking to him and he is nothing like the Lemongrab in the stories you told me, or like the rumours that circulated when he did go...crazy." Lemonhope kept his eye contact away from Phlannel to show he was not buying in to it yet. "I know it will take time, especially for you, but I believe he has changed a hell of a lot. He seemed very upset when he tried to talk to you but you ran away."

"That can't be him! He hates me." Lemonhope slowly unfolded his arms and glanced down at the floor in despair. He has never said, but when Lemonhope went to the candy kingdom, he hated to see all the children at school being picked up by their parents as he didn't have any real parents. As a child he needed guidance and love from his creators, but one was crippled and not allowed to show care while the other hated him, so he was always kept hidden away. He only wanted to know who he could turn to when he needed advice, other than PB who pushed him too much. Phlannel could sense Lemonhope's sombreness from the way his tone had decreased in pitch and volume.

"He doesn't, the old him did." Phlannel gave him an encouraging snuggle with his arm around Lemonhope's shoulders. "I'll give you some time to think, but it might benefit you to clear the air with him." As Phlannel stood up off the bed to begin his daily rounds on his travel machine, he voiced one more thing that could make it more likely for Lemonhope to talk to LG again. "Just remember it's your choice." Lemonhope hated being told what he should do; it was his life. So by Phlannel saying he had a choice in the matter, it might make the likelihood of a conversation between the two to form, as Lemonhope feels no pressure towards it. Lemonhope was now left inside his room again. Alone. He thought and thought about his options and decisions. Lemongrab had been abusive and horrible to Lemonhope, he will never forget that, but he couldn't ignore how much of a change he had made, so maybe Phlannel was right about him. Still, Lemonhope knew the real Lemongrab inside out and was reluctant to start and build any kind of trust or relationship between them as it would just hurt more when, or if, he turned. Lemonhope just led down and rested his befuddled mind on the comfy pillow; he needed more thinking time on this distressing matter.

It must have been a further hour before Lemonhope plucked up the courage to walk up to Lemongrab's recovery room with a small white tray in his hands. It had a full plate of food ranging from ripe fruits to crunchy crackers and cheese, a glass of fresh water and a folded up napkin to help wipe away any crumbs or sticky juices from his hands and mouth. Delicately, Lemonhope put the tray on the floor so his hands were free to knock politely on the door. His tiny knuckles made an almost inaudible knocking sound on the wooden door, but Lemongrab was still able to hear it thanks to the cloud trawler being silent and still while sailing through the skies. "Come in." Voiced a groggy Lemongrab. Lemonhope turned the handle slowly whilst swallowing his fears. It was a juggling act, but he was just able to pick up the tray and waddle in to the quiet room where Lemongrab was recovery on his bed still. Lemongrab had remained in the same lying position for all this time as he drifted in and out of sleep. Lemongrab grunted quietly as he lifted himself on to his achy elbows to try and sit up and see who requested his presents. When he saw it was Lemonhope, his heart skipped in disbelieve. "Lemonhope? Is everything ok?" Asked a confused Lemongrab. Nerves crept over Lemonhope as he finally made eye contact with his creator.

"I...I just came to give you your supper, but I will come back later...if you want to sleep." Lemonhope was scared of rabbiting on and annoying Lemongrab so soon shut his quivering lips.

"No no, it's fine. Please, come and sit with me." Lemongrab jolted his head towards the only chair in his room which was placed next to a small table to the left of Lemongrab's bed. Reluctantly, Lemonhope plodded towards his destination with his teeny-tiny feet scraping lazily across the wooden boards. Meanwhile, Lemongrab had finally pulled himself up in to a cross-legged position and had his body facing the chair, so they could talk on a more personal level. The tray was delicately place on top of the sturdy table, as Lemonhope jumped up on to his temporary seat. "Thank you for the food." Voiced Lemongrab. His effort to break the awkwardness was in vain. You could cut the tension with a sharpened blade.

"That's ok." Lemonhope's answer was short and simple. "I hope its ok." Lemonhope twiddled his little thumbs with anticipation in an effort to let his anxiety level drop; it did not change.

"It's perfect, thank you." Lemongrab could sense the fear built inside Lemonhope and was trying his best to decrease his worries. But how was he going to do that? The only emotion Lemongrab had produced in Lemonhope was terror. Not joy or friendship, but pure terror. He knew that it would take a long time for his young creation to trust him or even feel comfortable with him. Then again, Lemonhope was almost sat right next to him on his own, so Phlannel must have spoken to him and helped to change his mind about him. What ever he did, it worked. Lemonhope was still sat quietly next to him and did not run off straight away. Lemongrab knew this was the time to talk to him about the past and his apology, but if he messed this up, he would be devastated. So he took a small piece of fruit and mashed it between his razor sharp teeth to buy him thinking time. How was he going to word this? Swallowing the chewed up fruit down his long gullet, he took a deep breath in and spoke from his lemon heart. "Lemonhope..." The lemon child looked up to his creator with a slight twinge of dread in his huge round eyes. His glistening eyes filled with innocence made Lemongrab's heart ache and feel like it had been stabbed, as he remembered all the horrific things he did to Lemonhope. Reconditioning. Imprisonment. Being oppressed. How he wished to go back in time and stop everything. "I know I can't go back and change what I did to you." He paused to gather his thoughts. "...and I know nothing will ever make up for it, but just know that I regret everything I did to you and your brothers immensely." Yet again, he paused to swallow the lump of sadness forming in his throat. "I'm so sorry for being horrible to you and I promise, from the bottom of my sour lemon heart, I will do anything to make it up to you... But I also understand if you cannot forgive me or ever trust me again." Finally Lemongrab had finished his heartfelt apology. Young Lemonhope was dumbfounded by the sombre words spoken by LG. Lost for words, Lemonhope just peered down to his swinging feet to think and absorb everything said in that precious moment.

"You know, you scared me when I first saw you in this room." Lemonhope held his slouched position while staring at the floor. "And it will take time for that fear to go...but like Phlannel sometimes says, people change as times change. I can see you are different than what you were, so I think I can trust you again." A small smile grew across Lemongrab's face in the knowledge that his young creation had the heart to trust him again, even after the events he was put in to.

"Really? You trust me?" Crocked the emotional Lemongrab. Lemonhope's grin spread a tiny bit more, as he nodded his head

"To be honest, I only just recognised you when I walked in the room. It took a moment to process." Out of pure curiosity and the hope to start a short conversation, Lemongrab decided to be nosey.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked calmly.

"Well only 2 lemons I know are designed that way, you and father. Also you always wore black or grey." Lemongrab glanced down to his charcoal black gym outfit and chuckled lightly.

"That makes sense I guess." Lemonhope shrugged with a cute smile as he began to feel a tiny bit more comfortable with Lemongrab. "You've changed a lot to you know." Voiced Lemongrab. Lemonhope raised his eyebrow in confusion. "You've got a new, cool outfit and long hair."

"Oh, yeah. I forget how long it's been since we last saw each other." Lemongrab nodded in agreement. The time had flown by for him. It must have been over a year since the pair last laid eyes on each other. Those last moments of eye-contact were shared as Lemonhope was carried away from the kingdom on PB's shoulder and Lemongrab stared in horror from his old balcony. Whilst Lemonhope was taking in the new appearance of his creator, many questions popped up in his head without warning. How had he changed so much? Where was everyone else? Why had he been injured? His head burned with the number of unanswered questions building up in his mind and Lemongrab could see the bewilderment behind his expression.

"Are you ok? You look a little...perplexed." Said Lemongrab as he took some grapes off of their stork to chew up.

"Yeah, I'm just still amazed by how you look now. If you don't mind me asking, how did you do it?" Lemongrab briskly finished his mouthful and happily answered Lemonhope's query.

"It took a long time and I had help from professionals at a unit, so it wasn't easy." Lemonhope nodded slowly in to show his interest with Lemongrab's story. "But once my head was in the right place, I focused on my physical state and how to improve and here I am." Once Lemongrab had stopped talking, Lemonhope wondered if he could ask more questions that were still being kept deep inside his mind.

"Wow, must have been hard." His creator nodded while taking a large bite out of a ripe, red apple. "So, how long did it take you?"

"Around 13 months. That was the time I was able to go back to the candy kingdom and I've stayed there for almost a year now." Lemonhope paused by the mere mention of the candy kingdom. He stayed there for a while, but found it to be too...restrictive. All the lemon child wanted was to be free from responsibilities and just live his life how he wanted to and at the moment, he was enjoying his time with Phlannel so couldn't of been happier. Suddenly it dawned on him, if Lemongrab went back to the kingdom that must mean he has seen the princess and Lemonfriend.

"So, you're back living with father then?" With a heavy heart, Lemongrab began to let his mind wonder. The thought of everyone under the cruel rule of Ivan and his gang made a lump form in LG's throat again. Swallowing back the tears seemed impossible to Lemongrab, but he knew he had to so Lemonhope wouldn't worry. Instead Lemongrab just took a long deep breath and replied briskly to his curious lemon child.

"Yeah, I'm back with him." The awkwardness of Lemongrab's answer and his uncomfortable expression made Lemonhope slightly beguiled, which Lemongrab saw by the screwed up nose and narrow eyebrows displayed on lemon hopes round face. He realised Lemonhope was probably too young to understand the concept of relationships to an extent, so tried to explain subtly so the child could grasp the concept. "Umm, how to explain this?" Lemongrab never imagined himself to be like a dad giving 'the talk' to his son, but he was roped in to this and had no other option but to softly break Lemonhope in to a more grown up world; not too much though. "Well, do you know what a relationship is?"

"Kind of. It's like a connection you have with someone." Lemongrab was surprised by the maturity of Lemonhope even though he couldn't quite read or write. He must have picked it up from the princess.

"That's true, but do you know about special relationships? Like about love?" Lemongrab felt his cheeks heat up at an extraordinary rate from the awkwardness building up in the room again. Lemonhope made a disgusted face from the though of lovey dovey couples. As he was still a child and not quite mature, he found all couples to be off putting with all their kissing and hugging; he thought it was gross. Crossing his arms and turning his nose up at the description, Lemonhope replied cheekily.

"I don't know much about it, but I use to see couples in the candy kingdom being cuddly with each other. I've never seen the appeal." He stated proudly. Lemongrab chuckled lightly at the strong hearted creation sat next to him with his arms firmly crossed. "What's that got to do with you and father?" The giggling from Lemongrab was soon silenced back in to the awkward tension. Now he knew Lemonhope's opinion on the matter, he was reluctant to tell him the truth.

"Uhh...well...umm..." Lucky for Lemongrab, Lemonhope wasn't as stupid or oblivious as many other candy children. He could tell where he was going with this by the hidden clues Lemongrab was showing and the topic of the previous conversation. A hugely shocked expression was plastered on to Lemonhope's face when he finally understood what Lemongrab was inferring. It fell on his like a ton of bricks.

"Are you saying you and father are...?" Lemonhope felt sick and had trouble finishing the sentence. However, he didn't want to display his true emotion to Lemongrab in case he flipped out at him for being rude; He didn't trust him complete just yet. To put Lemonhope out of his misery and to stop this uncomfortable situation Lemongrab came clean with the plain truth.

"Together? Yes we are." Lemonhope couldn't speak. For some reason, Out of all the changes, this one was the most shocking to him. The last time he saw them together; Lemongrab had taken a massive chunk out of Lemonfriend's head and had devoured his weak legs. He would have killed him completely if it wasn't for PB's quick thinking about tugging him out of the way of the infuriated Lemongrab. Said lemon man witnessed the stubborn expression of his creation suddenly turn in to a more bewildered and shocked looking appearance; had he said too much at once? Despite his doubts, Lemonhope seemed to relax quite quickly about the subject that had just surfaced. Turning to Lemongrab, the young boy finally opened his mouth to voice his thoughts.

"So you're like the couples I would see in the kingdom, right?" With blushing cheeks and a wonky smile, Lemongrab nodded bashfully to answer the child's question. Lemonhope just screwed up his face again, but had the very tip of his tongue poking out like he wanted to say 'yuck' but was too shy to. Yet again, Lemongrab just chuckled faintly at his innocent lemon creation while trying to explain to him about how grown ups work.

"You might find it gross now, but trust me there will be a time where you will love someone in that special way." Lemonhope didn't change his expression of revulsion; in fact he just increased it. The though of being with someone like that made his stomach churn.

"Maybe." Replied Lemonhope who was trying to brush off the accusation, as he really wanted to change the subject. Lemongrab sympathised with the boy to an extent. When he was first created, he didn't like to be touched at all even if it was just in a friendly way. Now he loves kisses, hugs and connecting with his other half. Reaching up to his neck, Lemongrab patted on his chest to try and find his lemon heart charm to hold, but fell in to a well of sadness when his frantic slaps to the chest found nothing but his skin and clothes. Lemonhope saw the sudden drop of cheeriness within Lemongrab but his abrupt change in facial expression.

"Oh no..." Whispered Lemongrab. "It's gone." It all came back to him in a flash of light. Ivan had ripped off the charm to add to the jewellery collection the brutes had stolen from innocent citizens and the royal chambers.

"What's wrong?" Asked a curious Lemonhope.

"My locket is gone. Lemonfriend and I have half of the locket each, but they got taken away." The only thing Lemongrab had to remember Lemonfriend by in his times of woe was that locket and now it was gone. Stolen by dirty hands. Although Lemonhope found the romantic idea sickening, he couldn't help but see the pitiful expression Lemongrab slowly allowed to creep out on to his face. In a state of empathy, Lemonhope decided to keep his childish opinion quiet and discover the deeper meaning that Lemongrab was feeling.

"That's horrible. What happened then?" Like a toddler wanting a story from their parent, Lemonhope leaned closer to Lemongrab to listen in to the events that unravelled in his recent past.

"It's a blur." Said Lemongrab. "All I know is that the kingdom has been overtaken by a brutal gang of thugs and they have PB, Finn, Jake and Lemonfriend held captive. Before they transported me to the desert, they stole our necklaces probably to sell, attacked me and then I woke up here." Weirdly, Lemonhope felt his heart tense up and hurt when he heard the story. He was still close to PB and Lemonfriend when he left to find freedom, so to hear they were in danger made his sour lemon heart ache with the juice of feeling.

"That's awful." Whimpered Lemonhope as he fights back his fears. "What did they do to you? Phlannel said you were fatally injured."

"I don't know. They shot me with a gun I've never seen before." Thinking back, Lemongrab could only remember the sound of the gun fire and the pain that erupted from his tough side once it was fired. "That's why I need to get back as soon as possible. Who knows what those callous pigs will do to everyone." Lemongrab felt a fire burn in his stomach, while he imagined all the disgusting things the gang was doing to the citizens. Making them work for nothing. Torture or worse. And then thoughts of Lemonfriend and Rogan entered his mind. It tipped his angered emotions like lava flowing down a volcano. If he dared touch or hurt his precious mate, Lemongrab didn't know what he would do. Maybe kill him. No. Too easy.

"I can ask Phlannel to fly us to the kingdom; it shouldn't take too long, maybe 2 days." Lemonhope was determined to help the downhearted Lemongrab. "I want to help free the people."

"Absolutely not." Grumbled Lemongrab. "It's way too dangerous for you." Lemongrab was putting his foot down this time. Lemonhope was too small and young to go against a member of the gang if they were to jump out on out of the blue. Before Lemonhope could protest, there was a muted knock on the door. Phlannel opened the door and poked his head round.

"Sorry, but I was walking past and couldn't help but hear some of your conversation. I know the gang you're talking about." By the sudden mention of knowledge about the mystery gang, Lemongrab felt hope rise from within his jaded state.

"Really?" Asked Lemongrab. "Please can you tell me more?"

"Sure can." Phlannel closed the door abruptly behind him and blocked himself down on the edge of the bed. "They're called The Vipers and all have a viper tattoo which is their trade mark symbol." A menacing and dangerous name to match the intimidating and violent nature of the gang. "Horrible people. They pillaged towns before but suddenly they went quiet for years, no one knew why but I guess from the new information you just said, they were planning a take over."

"Do you know how to go against them?" Asked an eager Lemongrab.

"Sadly, no one has been able to take them down before so I don't know if they have any weaknesses." With a deep sigh of disappointment, Lemongrab rested his back on the wall to try and think of an idea to overcome this unsolvable problem.

"Do you know how to get to the kingdom quickly?" Phlannel nodded with a proud smile. "Right, in that case could you drop me off near the kingdoms boarders and I will fight against them the best I can."

"I can't do that." Lemongrab glared at Phlannel in confusion, but was soon let in on his idea. "I won't let you fight them alone. I've seen what they can do and you will need all the help you can get." Lemonhope suddenly burst in to Phlannel's plan.

"Exactly, so let me help you."

"Lemonhope it's too dangerous for you. They won't be hypnotised by your harp or put off by your flute." Stated Phlannel. "They could kill you."

"Phlannel's right Lemonhope." Lemonhope sulked in his chair with his arms crossed firmly. However, the traveller sat next to Lemongrab hadn't finished his point.

"And they also won't be scared of you Lemongrab, for you are just one man. We need to do this as a team." Lemongrab felt enlightened by the kindness and bravery Phlannel was willing to give to him.

"Are you sure?" Asked an apprehensive Lemongrab.

"Very. I can heal people that are injured with my remedies, Lemonhope can distract people and you can fight and protect people. We can ask around the kingdom as well for citizens to join us and fight back as a massive group." Inspired and ready, Lemongrab loved the idea proposed by Phlannel, but was unsure about getting citizens involved. They were only small in comparison and had families; Lemongrab's job was to protect them not involve them with the evil.

"I don't know..." Lemongrab didn't know how to disclose his worries.

"We can outnumber them and they won't know what to do. We can do this." With an encouraging smile from Phlannel, a brave expression from Lemonhope and his love for all his friends, especially Lemonfriend, Lemongrab finally agreed to the rebellion.

"Alright let's do this. How long until we reach the kingdom?" Lemongrab had a sudden emotion to fight back and succeed burning in his heart.

"Just over a day." The goal was set for the trio. The next day would mark the beginning of their fight against the thugs, Lemongrab just hope he wasn't going to be too late. A Passionate feeling arose within them all, as they began to plan further while the ship traveller closer and closer to doomsday.

Dark clouds, gloomy surroundings and sombre emotions were prominent in the kingdom of sugar. Its atmosphere was at an all time low; bring all the delightful feelings of the citizens down with it. The kingdom was at Rock bottom. With Finn and Jake in the dungeon again, Esme was recovering and PB having to be with Ivan all the time, Lemonfriend was alone in Rogan's chosen room, which he had redecorated to fit the gangs chosen colours and style. It was dark everywhere. The walls matched the wooden frames of the furniture which was an extremely dark oak brown. Blood red curtains were draped across the windows even though there was no sun to block out. His bed sheets were the same shade of red and made of velvet so reflexes the dull light given by the Matt black chandelier. A stone fireplace had been installed opposite a small soft that could fit 2 people. Just like the chairs in the room, the top of the seat and the back broad was a deep red. The room was so different. Sat on the sofa, Lemonfriend appeared to be miserable like always. These days, he never looked forward to waking up to the present times. Opening his eyes to a bleak room on an uncomfortable couch was not what he desired. Then again, he chose to sleep there as the only other place was the bed with Rogan. He had tried to get him to sleep there before, but Lemonfriend always refused. Rogan was almost at breaking point. He tried to block out the thoughts and events that gave him a sickening, twisting feeling in his stomach, but it was hopeless. The only thing he had for comfort was the 2 lockets which were cleverly taken back by PB, who was sent to the room of loot to put more stolen items in there. She found them amongst gold bracelets and silver rings so nabbed them while she had a chance. The princess knew they would never notice the kidnapped item missing, since there was so much there already.

Lemonfriend placed himself near the fire for warmth while holding the lockets close to his heart. He remembered the day he opened the present to find his half of the locket neatly packaged in the box. His heart skipped with joy then, but now it only brought him tragedy and heartache. Holding the sacred gift close to his heart he let his head drop down in despair. Keeping the lockets close to him gave him a sense of security, as he tightly held them in his chained, cold hands. Sadly, his happy memories where distrusted by the click of a key and the loud scream given out by the door. It was Rogan. Without hesitation, Lemonfriend hid the forbidden jewellery in the pockets of his shorts, so Rogan could not discover them and confiscate the pendants again.

"Ah good, you're still here." He said with a cold tone.

"Of course, I can't go anywhere else with these stupid chains." Spat Lemonfriend as he shook the heavy metal chains in frustration. Rogan sighed heavily as the sympathy he should have felt washed right over him. With no feelings of remorse, Rogan just twisted the key he had in the key hole to lock the door and paced over to Lemonfriend to square up to him.

"It's your own fault you have to wear them. You ran away so this is your punishment." He held an enraged expression which terrified Lemonfriend to the core. "But I will allow them to come off for now." The tyrant held up a tiny key that would unlock the rings of metal restraining Lemonfriend from doing anything he wanted. Before Rogan inserted the key to release Lemonfriend, he had one more threat. "But if you run away or go against me, I will think of something else to punish you. Something worse." A chill ran all the way up Lemonfriend's spine as Rogan kept staring dead in to him fearful eyes. The chains clanged loudly when they heavily met the floor. Once finally free, Lemonfriend began to caress and tender to the sore areas created by endless rubbing from the chunky metal, but before he could walk away from the evil man he was grabbed by the forearms and drawn in to a vile attempt of a kiss. Lemonfriend violently thrashed his hands on Rogan's chest and pushed away from the force of his wet lips; His filthy beard tickled Lemonfriend's face and made it feel itchy. Once Lemonfriend had at last got the scoundrel off, he was rapid with his infuriated and disgusted thoughts.

"What the hell are you doing!?" He yelled while stumbling back away from Rogan.

"I set you free! Don't you think I deserve a little praise for that?" Lemonfriend felt dirty and sick right from the bottom of his shrinking belly. "Anyway, don't you think now we are together we should finish where we left off?" Memories flooded Lemonfriend's mind at an alarming rate; none of them with Rogan were good. He shuddered at the thought of spending even a minute in his company, let alone a night. Dread was the only emotion filling Lemonfriend's heart as he tried to stay out of Rogan's reach.

"No." He said sternly. "I will never do anything with you. I hate you." His gritted, sharp teeth added to the revulsion he felt towards Rogan. Rogan felt scorned by Lemonfriend's consistent bad attitude and had finally had enough. Without thought he speedily waltzed right up to Lemonfriend who had run out off space to move back in. Just an inch parted them.

"Well you better get use to it. Lemongrab isn't here to be your 'sour heart' anymore." The disrespectful mention of his partner sent Lemonfriend over the edge of his emotional cliff. Never had he felt spite or sorrow like he was in that dark moment of time.

"How dare you!" He screamed as he aggressively shoved Rogan away from him so he could stand his ground. Rogan was in utter shock. "The only reason he's not here is because you and your gang killed him!" With clenched fists and tears in his eyes, Lemonfriend began to slowly step forward in to Rogan's path. When Lemonfriend mentioned the attack on his other half, Rogan just chuckled with a tiny grin. Lemonfriend couldn't control himself anymore. "You animal!" He shouted. Before he could stop himself, his fist was flying towards Rogan's face and collided with his filthy cheeks; his head swung backwards in the direction of Lemonfriend's fist. Once Lemonfriend realised what he just did, he froze from fear of what Rogan will do in retaliation. Fury burned brighter than ever in Rogan's eyes as he glared at Lemonfriend in disbelief and outrage. How was he going to react?

"An animal I am? Well then..." Like a stampeding bull, Rogan stormed up to Lemonfriend and viciously grabbed his arm to hold it as tight as he could, while he tugged Lemonfriend alone with him. This was extremely painful but Lemonfriend was just glad he didn't swing back at him. Yet.

Rogan burst through several doors of the castle still in his fit of rage. On the way to their mystery destination, the pair past Ivan and an exhausted looking PB, who was lagging behind her controller. The distress shown on Lemonfriend face made the princess feel helpless as she watched her young creation being violently dragged down the corridor. Anxiety filled her head. As for Ivan. He was slightly curious of what was happening between the pair. "Rogan, where you going?" He asked intrusively.

"I'll explain later!" Boomed Rogan who still held a strong, livid expression. For just a moment PB and Lemonfriend made he contact. In that split second, PB could read all the emotions Lemonfriend was feeling. His eyes screamed his message using the terror blatantly plastered across his face. 'Help me!' His expression seemed to say. A depressed PB watched as her young creation and best friend was brutally tugged away in to the dark night. She could nothing at all. For now.

The rotting doors to the stables slammed on to the wooden walls making a deafening bang escape in to the cold, dreary atmosphere of the kingdom. With all his force, Rogan savagely threw Lemonfriend in to the freezing barn, so hard Lemonfriend stumbled from the force and fell on to the hay scattered all over the squalid stable ground. "So I'm the animal...what about now? Who's the animal now?" With that last hate-filled message, Rogan aggressively secured the door from the outside with a large piece of wood placed across the stable doors. There was no escape. Although Lemonfriend was happy, nay, delighted to finally be away from that manic villain, he could feel his thick skin gradually become colder by the second. Just then he heard a quiet whimper from the corner of the barn behind half a wooden wall which acted as a separator. Lemonfriend hesitantly wandered over to see what made the strange, distressing sound. He glanced over the top to see a very depressed looking Lemoncamel and a frightened lemonPegasus.

"Cam? Peggy?" They seemed to perk up by the soft voice from one of their masters. The poor animals had been tied to the wall with a collar and heavy chain; Lemonfriend felt awful that he never even thought about what happened to them, he was so caught up with Rogan and the loss of his lover. Running up to them, he petted their foreheads gently and made sure they were alright. It seemed that the thugs were still feeding and giving them water but only in small quantities and with little excitement in the food. "Are you ok?" Asked a sincere Lemonfriend. He cared a lot about his animals. To show they were content now he was there, the camel gave out a tiny grunt while the Pegasus just neighed silently as he rubbed his head against Lemonfriend's forearm. "Don't worry, I'm here now." Lemonfriend planted himself down in the middle of the noble steeds, so he had one on each arm; his back was away from the ice cold stable wall. Lemonfriend reached in to his pocket lethargically to pull out the two lockets that held such loving, yet painful memories. As he was finally on his own, the dejected lemon man could at last properly mourn the loss of his beloved other half. The tears fell like a salty waterfall from his large, brown eyes as he clutched the sentimental pendants in his shaking hands. Animals are good at picking up strong emotions and the lemon creatures were no different. Cam stood on all fours briefly to trot behind Lemonfriend, while Peggy placed their body along side Lemonfriend so they could snuggle up to him; Cam heavily plonked down with a grunt and guided it's neck to rest near Lemonfriend's left side. The warmth from his animals made him feel supported and cosy, nevertheless the tears still fell from his dirty cheeks and his hitched breaths were the only noise being enacted from the still stable.

It was hard to sleep that night due to the frozen air still biting at his toes and the agonising heart ache he felt while expressing his utter sadness after days of holding it back. He saw no hope now and felt like giving up on everything he was trying to fight back. He didn't care anymore. He just wanted his lover back so they could make even more memorable days together. Instead he was locked in a barn that was the same temperature of Antarctica, with sorrow to weighting down his emotions. Never had he felt sadness like this. Never. And it just got worse.


End file.
